Special Olympics 100 Mile House is hosting a five-pin bowling qualifier on Saturday, March 24 with teams from all over the province in attendance, including Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Prince George, Quesnel and 100 Mile for a total of 85 bowlers. The qualifiers are for the Winter Games in Vernon in February 2019.
Special Olympics 100 Mile hosted a golf qualifier before but not a bowling one, according to co-ordinator Denise Thiessen.
“It’s gonna be an interesting day. It’s gonna be a long day but it’s gonna be a fun day.”
There are 20 local athletes participating in the event.
“They play three games of bowling and then from there the provincial office down in Burnaby, they put all the numbers together. They crunch all the numbers and everything and they see who then advances to the Winter Games.”
The local team’s chances depend all on how they do, says Thiessen.
“They can get up to Saturday and walk into the bowling alley and go ‘oh how do I do this again?’ It all depends on the nerves the excitement, the adrenaline, the atmosphere. These guys all feed off of that kind of thing. If it’s loud and exciting and fun and they’re enjoying themselves then they’ll do well.”
100 Mile has always been asked to host qualifiers but with only 20 athletes and smaller venues unlike Prince George or Quesnel, a bowling qualifier hadn’t happened, she says. Larry and Sherree at the bowling alley have been a huge help and BJ’s Donuts is providing lunch, according to Thiessen.
“I think everybody is going to have a really good day,” she says. “We’re really looking forward to it. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The local group has existed for about 15 years. The one-day event starts at 9 a.m. and will continue until 6 p.m.