NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – After a year of training, four Pictou County athletes saw their hard work and dedication pay off in a big way.
Evan Sharpe, Stacey Saunders, Kara Scott and Lucy Rogers, all who train out of Pictou County, all came home medal winners for Team Nova Scotia in the National Special Olympics in late July in Antigonish.
Cathy Mason, chef de mission for Special Olympics, said the word amazing was used more than once to describe the week and the success of the province’s athletes.
“Everyone on Team Nova Scotia was perfect,” she said. “From the coaches, mission staff to the athletes. We got 134 medals in total. Our track team alone had 37 athletes and had 77 medals.”
Mason credits the success of Team Nova Scotia and its Pictou County athletes to the training that was put in throughout the year to prepare for the national stage.
“I think every coach we had on Team Nova Scotia took their role very seriously when they started the year out. In swimming and track in particular, both sports saw their athletes every month leading up to the games. It was the training and they were committed to the training. It showed in the end with the medal count.”
Sharpe said he trained hard for his swimming competitions and in the end won a silver medal for the 200 freestyle. He also was able to knock eight seconds off his personal best time in the 100 IM.
“I have been working hard,” he said, adding the found the competition to be “tough.”
When asked what his motivation was for pushing himself to record personal best times and win a silver, he said “I just heard Cathy hollering”.
Saunders also recorded a personal best time in the 100 metre track and field event by coming in 44 seconds better than in the past. She won a gold in the 100 metre, a gold in the 4x100 relay and a silver in shotput.
“She was amazing,” said her coach Angela Fogarty. “She was a role model for everyone. She was very committed.”
Saunders said she felt strong going into the games and was confident she could medal, but her real goal was to leave a lasting impression with people who doubt they will achieve such success.
“I am 6’2” and 310 pounds. To me, I am an inspiration to bigger women and men. They are like, ‘oh, I can’t do that’, but guess what, get off your butt and do it because I did it. I lost over 43 pounds in the last six months for training,” she said.
“I trained two to three days a week and trained with my brother the rest of the week. I was coming home with a medal one way or another. “
Kara Scott also took home numerous medals in the rythemetic gymnastics division. Scott won silver and bronze in hoop, ball, group routines as well as best overall.
Scott said she was hoping work with her coaches as well as taking ballet classes would pay off in the end.
Lucy Rogers won a bronze in the 100m silver in the 400m and silver in shotput.
