Alpine ski coach Martin McSween has been selected to help coach the 2013 Canada Special Olympics team to glory next winter on the world stage.
McSween has been named an associate coach for the team, which will compete in Korea next February at the Special Olympic World Games. He has already begun preparations and was in Toronto last weekend for their first training camp.
“It’s very exciting,” he said of being named to the team, and for also having three Alberta athletes he coached at the Canadian Special Games earlier this year qualify.
McSween is part of the four member coaching team and will have 15 athletes at the competition in PyeongChang from January 26 to February 6. The alpine events will take place at Yongpyong Ski Resort.
This will be McSween’s second World Special Olympics Games he has attended as coach. In 2009 he was a coach for the games in Boise, Idaho. This was an experience of a lifetime, just as Korea promises to be. McSween has never travelled to Asia.
The team will have a unique cultural experience. This year the organizers are hosting a program called Host Town. This allows participants to visit the country in advance of competition and stay in the local community. This will allow them to experience the traditional culture of Korea as well as allow them to get acclimatized before competition.
There are 141 athletes, coaches and mission staff from Canada with designs on attending the games. They are part of 3,300 athletes from as many as 120 countries who will be competing. It is expected to be the largest Special Olympic Winter games ever, with athletes competing in seven sports.
