After a year of hard work and dedication by athletes, coaches, staff and supporters it all came down to one day. Today was the final day of competition for the 2008 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games. You could sense the immensity of the day upon first rise at the team’s hotel. The athletes all had medals on the line today and everyone wanted to do their best for themselves and for the people who were supporting them.
Floor Hockey
The floor hockey team entered their gold medal game with Team BC having not beat them in the previous two attempts. This team of amazing men and women were no discouraged by this and their coaches did an outstanding job of reinforcing the positive and focusing on their strengths.
Team NL started the scoring in the game with a goal by Willy “Mr. T” Winters whose is known for his tenacious offence. Team BC answered back tieing it up late in the first period. Starting out the second period Eddie “Oui Oui” Furlong (the veteran of the 96 team) let a wicked shot go from the point that surprised the goalie and Eddie and put Team NL in the lead.
Both teams were very evenly matched and the flow of the game was excellent. The Team NL fans in the stands were on pins and needles and without a doubt had more nerves than the players did. At the end of the second period Andrew “Spiderman” Hynes scored an amazing goal into the top shelf that the Team BC goalie had no chance at getting. This goal was scored on a shift in which Andrew was pitted against players that were easily twice his size.
Entering into the third period Team BC started putting a lot of pressure on the NL defense. They held strong and goalie Eddie Hynes stood on his head to preserve the lead. Entering into the last shift of the game Team NL had a three to one lead. Just over a minute into the final shift Team BC scored a goal which brought them within one. Adding to the suspence Team NL notched two quick penalties that left them two men down for the final minute of the game.
Although BC was pressing the defense and goaltending held strong. The final 20 seconds of the game felt like an eternity for the fans and coaches but the athletes kept their composure and sealed the win and the gold medal for Newfoundland and Labrador.
The team is now riding a well deserved high that will surely last well into their return home.
Today’s Results:
NL 3 vs. BC 2, Gold Medal (Division C)
Cross Country Skiing
The nerves of the day never made it up to Mount Saint Anne as both Daniel and Patricia skied their best races of the games. Daniel’s performance earned him a gold and silver medal while Patricia continued her trend of the games by once again breaking another personal best in the 500m.
A lot of credit is to be given to head coach Len Moores for the athletes success. He pushed the athletes throughout the year and ensured that they trained on technical courses in preparation for the National Games. This commitment paid off as the Team NL athletes were prepared for the technically difficult course which many athletes struggled with throughout the week.
Today’s Results:
Daniel Moores – 500m (Division M3), Gold Medal
1km (Division M4), 5th Place
2.5km (Division M4), Silver Medal
Patricia Wiseman – 500m, Personal Best
Snowshoeing
The snowshoeing team has been putting in impressive results all week long. Today continued that trend as Team NL let the snow fly for one last time.
Justin Lahey from Bell Island has been running the best races of his life and today it paid of with a medal. Justin earned a bronze medal in the 200m and his teammates and coaches were thrilled to see him on the podium.
Our 1500m racers were in with some extremely stiff competition as all three Team NL racers were in the top division. The weather was not optimal but that did not deter the team as all racers ran with guts and determination. Sandra Smith ran a great race and came out with a silver medal while both Sarah and Johnny finished with 4th place finishes.
The snowshoeing team bonded very well during the week and have made group hugs a staple of each day. The medal hall was impressive but more importantly to this team was the support and friendship that they could count on from each other.
Today’s Results:
Justin Lahey – 200m (Division M7), Bronze Medal
Tony Krystis – 200m, Personal Best
Sandra Smith – 200m (Division F2), 4th Place
1500m (Division F1), Bronze Medal
Sarah Brown – 1500m (Division M1), 4th Place
Johnny Philpott – 1500m (Division M1), 4th Place
Floor Hockey
The floor hockey team entered their gold medal game with Team BC having not beat them in the previous two attempts. This team of amazing men and women were no discouraged by this and their coaches did an outstanding job of reinforcing the positive and focusing on their strengths.Team NL started the scoring in the game with a goal by Willy “Mr. T” Winters whose is known for his tenacious offence. Team BC answered back tieing it up late in the first period. Starting out the second period Eddie “Oui Oui” Furlong (the veteran of the 96 team) let a wicked shot go from the point that surprised the goalie and Eddie and put Team NL in the lead.
Both teams were very evenly matched and the flow of the game was excellent. The Team NL fans in the stands were on pins and needles and without a doubt had more nerves than the players did. At the end of the second period Andrew “Spiderman” Hynes scored an amazing goal into the top shelf that the Team BC goalie had no chance at getting. This goal was scored on a shift in which Andrew was pitted against players that were easily twice his size.
Entering into the third period Team BC started putting a lot of pressure on the NL defense. They held strong and goalie Eddie Hynes stood on his head to preserve the lead. Entering into the last shift of the game Team NL had a three to one lead. Just over a minute into the final shift Team BC scored a goal which brought them within one. Adding to the suspence Team NL notched two quick penalties that left them two men down for the final minute of the game.
Although BC was pressing the defense and goaltending held strong. The final 20 seconds of the game felt like an eternity for the fans and coaches but the athletes kept their composure and sealed the win and the gold medal for Newfoundland and Labrador.
The team is now riding a well deserved high that will surely last well into their return home.
Today’s Results:
NL 3 vs. BC 2, Gold Medal (Division C)
Cross Country Skiing
The nerves of the day never made it up to Mount Saint Anne as both Daniel and Patricia skied their best races of the games. Daniel’s performance earned him a gold and silver medal while Patricia continued her trend of the games by once again breaking another personal best in the 500m.A lot of credit is to be given to head coach Len Moores for the athletes success. He pushed the athletes throughout the year and ensured that they trained on technical courses in preparation for the National Games. This commitment paid off as the Team NL athletes were prepared for the technically difficult course which many athletes struggled with throughout the week.
Today’s Results:
Daniel Moores – 500m (Division M3), Gold Medal
1km (Division M4), 5th Place
2.5km (Division M4), Silver Medal
Patricia Wiseman – 500m, Personal Best
Snowshoeing
The snowshoeing team has been putting in impressive results all week long. Today continued that trend as Team NL let the snow fly for one last time.Justin Lahey from Bell Island has been running the best races of his life and today it paid of with a medal. Justin earned a bronze medal in the 200m and his teammates and coaches were thrilled to see him on the podium.
Our 1500m racers were in with some extremely stiff competition as all three Team NL racers were in the top division. The weather was not optimal but that did not deter the team as all racers ran with guts and determination. Sandra Smith ran a great race and came out with a silver medal while both Sarah and Johnny finished with 4th place finishes.
The snowshoeing team bonded very well during the week and have made group hugs a staple of each day. The medal hall was impressive but more importantly to this team was the support and friendship that they could count on from each other.
Today’s Results:
Justin Lahey – 200m (Division M7), Bronze Medal
Tony Krystis – 200m, Personal Best
Sandra Smith – 200m (Division F2), 4th Place
1500m (Division F1), Bronze Medal
Sarah Brown – 1500m (Division M1), 4th Place
Johnny Philpott – 1500m (Division M1), 4th Place
