Special Olympics Unified Event frozen out

Big Grassy’s Lauryn Horton travelled through -30 to -35 C conditions to reach the Special Olympics Ontario Winter Games Jan. 20-23 in Thunder Bay.
“It took us six hours to drive here,” said Horton’s mother, Rachel Copenance.
Although Horton’s family braved the elements to get to the Special Olympics, officials cancelled her event, the Unified Event, due to freezing conditions below the -25 cut off point for the games.
Horton was sad about not being able to compete, but the eight-year-old did meet Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke.
And shook his hand.
She was among the first to get an autographed tablemat from the NHL executive.
Horton has been snowshoeing the past two years since her grandparents bought her the footwear for Christmas.
“Every time she goes down to her grandparents, she goes snowshoeing,” Copenace said.
While her event was cancelled, Horton is used to being out in winter conditions for extended periods, having won a couple of fishing tournaments last year when she was only seven.
“I caught a perch in the ice fishing derby,” Horton said.
Horton had been scheduled to compete in a Unified snowshoeing event with her sister Kirsten. The Unified Event pairs athletes with a intellectual disability with student volunteers from local schools to compete in certain sporting events.
Special Olympics Ontario is looking to get more athletes involved in the games from northern Ontario.
“Our plans with the First Nation-Aboriginal communities is to talk to the leaders of those service agencies that support First Nations people with disabilities and intellectual disabilities and have them connect to the committee to help us develop strategies so there is more involvement in Special Olympics for First Nations-Aboriginal athletes,” said Linda Ashe, vice-president of Special Olympics Ontario. “We have been in touch with three or four of those organizations and there is certainly an interest to help and be on board with that committee to make things happen.”
Ashe said any potential athletes who are interested in participating in the Special Olympics should contact the Special Olympics Games office phone number at 416-447-8326, which will be open until mid-February.
“Any family member or any person interested in knowing more about the Special Olympics after the games, call that number and we will have that person connected to existing sports programs that are available in Thunder Bay,” Ashe said. “Or if there is an interest, we can create some new programs specific for that group of interested people.”