A cloud covered weekend rolled through St. Paul, causing intermittent showers and chilly temperatures on Sunday.
However, the unpleasant weather conditions could not put a damper on the athletes at the 30th annual Conrad Jean Slo-pitch Special Olympics tournament, which featured 10 teams coming from Edmonton, St. Albert, Regina and St Paul.
The four teams from Regina arrived in buses, after a long seven-hour trek to reach the tournament. The 30th year of the tournament did not disappoint, as the teams all competed in each league based on skill level.
Anna Sheffelmiar has spearheaded the organization of the event over the past few years, and she says that this year’s tournament was once again a success.
“Overall things went very well. Despite the weather I’m very proud of all of the teams for pushing through the wind and rain to battle Mother Nature. The commitment that these athletes have is amazing. It’s such a great honour to be able to coach these athletes. It’s truly a very rewarding experience.”
The St. Paul teams were awarded for their good efforts with St. Paul B finishing third in the Blue Division, and St. Paul C placing third in the Yellow Division.
The St. Paul team was also given the Most Sportsmanlike Team award, which is considered to be a source of pride for the athletes, according to Sheffelmiar.
“We were very honoured to receive the most sportsmanlike team award this year.”
A concession was open throughout the weekend at the Ag Corral once again this year, and a banquet was held in the Rec Center, which included a meal, a dance, and a whole lot of fun for the athletes Saturday night.
Roger Brousseau was presented with an award for all of the hard volunteer work he has put in over the years to help the tournament continue to be a success.
Conrad Jean, the tournament’s founder and namesake, was also in attendance once again. Jean worked with the St. Paul Abilities Network for over 30 years, and he founded the tournament in 1986.
He says that the tournament grew to 25 teams at one point before falling back down to 10 teams, but it would be good to try to increase the number of teams back up to 16.
“When you have 10 teams, its almost the same workload even if you increase it to 16 teams. Anna is doing a great job and it would be good to increase the number of teams once again,” said Jean.
He also stated that he thinks the challenge involved with getting more teams involved has to do with the economy.
“We used to have teams from all over Alberta, but things are tougher now for non-profit organizations, and fundraising for a trip a tournament once you take food, hotel rooms and fuel into account, it’s not cheap. It’s hard for organizations to get sponsors and donations. We’ve had some dedicated teams that have been there form the beginning. St. Albert, Edmonton and Regina are all organizations that have been attending for many consecutive years.”
Among the competitors at the tournament for St. Paul was Charlotte Mayo, who came back to play in the tournament after leaving the team for three years.
The B team needed extra players, which sparked Charlotte’s return.
“I had fun, it helps us get to meet other people, and it gets them outside and involved and it’s good,” said Mayo.
For Charlotte, the event is a family affair. Her husband Gregg used to play with the B team, but he is now coaching the C team and was a volunteer umpire over the weekend. Her son Michael was playing with the B team.
The closing ceremonies on Sunday included the presentation of awards to athletes for their teams finishing position and recognition for the hard work they put in all weekend.
Sheffelmiar says the team ribbons and individual awards are a big part of the experience for the athletes.
“I think that the personal awards are important to the athletes. It gives them a boost of confidence, shows them that hard work does pay off and maybe even pushes them a little more to succeed.”
Jean says the tournament is not just good for the athletes, but for businesses around town as well.
“The Regina teams rented out 25 rooms just for themselves, and that adds up for a hotel.”
The results for each division at the end of the weekend are as follows:
Yellow Division
1st St. Albert C
2nd Edmonton 2
3rd St. Paul C
Blue Division
1st Regina Wildcats
2nd Edmonton 1
3rd St. Paul B
Green Division
1st St. Albert C
2nd Regina Diamond Dawgs
3rd Regina Hitmen
