ECA Review 2020-03-26

BREEDERS’ SECTION
12 M arch 26'20 HANNA/CORONATION/STETTLER, AB. Eca REVIEW
Clive Special Olympics athlete brings home four medals
Terri Huxley
ECA Review
Thomasina Payne of
Clive, Alta. attended the
Special Olympics Canada
Winter Games held in
Thunder Bay, Ontario from
Feb. 25 to 29, 2020.
Payne was delighted to
bring home four medals – all
in Speed skating.
She won a gold medal in
the 777m race, a silver medal
in 500m, a silver medal in
333m, and a silver medal in
222m.
The 28-year-old is active
in plenty of sports aside
from speed skating but fell
in love with the people, the
travelling and the winter
aspect of the game.
“I was always interested
in the winter kind of sports.
I learned how to downhill
ski, I snowshoe, I skate, so
yeah this sounded like this
was kind of fun. I just happened
to be sitting with a
guy from Rocky [Mountain
House] at the Grande Prairie
provincial games that was a
speed skater so I decided to
chat him up about the
sport,” said Payne.
This person gave Payne
all the contact information
needed for the Red Deer
Central Lions Club where
she was welcomed with open
arms immediately back in
2015.
Some members of her club
often go to meets in
Saskatchewan or farther
east whereas Payne
typically goes to Calgary
and Edmonton regularly.
She found out she would
be going to nationals in June
2019 and has since been preparing
for the competition.
Central Lions Club head
coach Nick Shultz as well as
her speedskating coach
Sheanna Peterman have
been instrumental in her
success as she has been
training between two and
three times a week leading
up to nationals.
In order to get to the
Special Olympics, Payne
first pre-qualified for provincials
in Edmonton at the
Fall Classic, won first and a
couple of second place finishes
at provincials in
Calgary and then went to
the national event.
“We had a lot of fun,”
began Payne. “I found the
volunteers were really
friendly throughout the
week. [They] Loved to talk
to us when they had the
chance.”
Although Payne has travelled
to the eastern province
before for nationals in track
and field and family vacations,
she had never
experienced Thunder Bay
itself.
One of the highlights of
her trip was getting to see
the Terry Fox statue and the
harbour front.
“I had never been to
Thunder Bay before so I
guess that was kind of cool
to see a new city and a new
part of Ontario I had never
seen before,” she said.
“It was neat. It was the
first time I went to nationals
for that sport.”
Now that nationals is finished,
there is a high chance
Payne will possibly be going
to the next level of
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competition: international.
But for now some complications
with the host country
has put the competition for
next year in limbo and is
now yet to be determined.
There is another competitor
who is also eligible to go
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(Left) Thomasina
Payne followed by Liz
Ashton representing
B.C. in a very close
777 metre race in
Division 2. Payne
collected four medals
during the national
sporting event.
Photos courtesy of
Special Olympics
Canada
Perennial
Forages
to the games ahead of Payne as she
won more gold medals so there is a
chance Team Canada could take them
both or just one of them.
“It all depends on who Team Canada
wants to take,” said Payne.
“It’s not a gimme that you get to go
on. It’s like any sport, you have to meet
the requirements and the ratios and all
that kind of stuff,” added Payne’s
mother, Marie.
As for hometown support, there
hasn’t been a shortage from the village
of Clive.
“I do the water metre bills for Clive
and almost the whole village came in
and I was swarmed,” said Payne. “I
would say there is some community
support there.”
Clarification
Coronation Chief Administrative
Officer Quinton Flint incorrectly
stated at the council meeting on March
9 the light bulbs were only included in
the quote given by Thornton Electric
for the Lions Recreation Centre when
in-fact it included the replacement of
the whole fixture including the light
bulbs themselves. The ECA Review
clarifies this error.
Morrow
Communications
2-Way Radio
Sales & Service
Botha, AB
(403) 742-9715