Brett Tassel went out and played and didn't quit.
Now he has a great story to tell about his awesome experience at the 2014 Special Olympics National Summer Games, which took place in Vancouver July 8-12.
The local golfer injured his shoulder twisting too fast on a swing during an early round, but for the rest of the way he played through the pain.
That, and the experience he gained at the National Games as one of hundreds of athletes from across Canada taking part, are some of the main things that matter most, he says.
Tassel, 27, placed fifth overall in a tough
division on the challenging University Golf Course. The Games were the first national Special Olympics contest held in British Columbia in more than 20 years.
B.C. athletes won seven medals in golf, including, in the
same division as Tassel, Kelowna's gold medal winner Kyle Grummett.
Through three nine-hole rounds, Grummett finished with 124 strokes; Kyle Koopman of Ontario, in second place, finished with 130; Manitoba's Danny Peaslee scored 133; B.C's Ryan Courtemanche scored 141 and Tassel scored 146, three strokes ahead of Joshua Engel of Alberta in sixth.
Kristin Webster, Special Olympics coordinator for the North & Central Interior, says B.C. athletes did not disappoint.
“Team BC swept the gold medals in all of the team sports, including basketball, bocce, soccer, and softball. Athletes from across the province also raked in hundreds of individual medals in swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, track and field, five and 10 pin bowling, powerlifting and, of course, golf.”
Team BC earned 288 total medals – 115
gold, 85 silver and 88 bronze.
On the golf course, Tassel shot 44, 51 and 51 through three rounds.
“It was a pleasure to see Brett soaking up his first National Games experience, always with a huge smile and a ton of stories each time I ran into him. This was golf’s debut at a Special Olympics Nationals event and the scores really make these athletes look like old pros.”
Tassel went “over and above” with a good attitude and he was a great teammate, says 100 Mile House Special Olympics coordinator Denise Barker.
“For him to have gotten this far, we were all in tears. Well, I
was. We're so proud of him for getting this
far and doing what he did.”
Next up, Tassel has his sights set on qualifying for the Special Olympics World Summer Games before they take place in Los Angeles in July 2015.
From the recent competition in Vancouver, he says he's going to remember most hanging out with the other athletes and the support he received from family and friends.
“I was a little nervous when I was going down to the Games," he says. "But coming back with fifth place really shocked me in a good way.”
Another memory from Vancouver is meeting with BC Lions' quarterback Travis Lulay and getting
his autograph. Tassel stands 6 feet 9. He's a big guy, and Lulay joked about him maybe playing football for the Lions.
Tassel replied he's going to stick with golf.