Kitchener athlete off to Special Olympics World Games
Posted Mar 1, 2019 04:50:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Peter Snider is in the final days of training leading up to the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.
The 24-year-old will make the trip there next Thursday, with the actual games getting underway on March 14.
“To me, it's a big accomplishment … it's really fun,” Snider told KitchenerToday.com before a recent training session.
Snider, who works in food services at the University of Waterloo, will be competing in track events.
He has been practicing three days a week to prepare for the games.
He says his favourite event is the 200 metre race. “My goal is to run a personal best … faster than I did last year.”
Snider has been involved with Special Olympics for five years, winning medals at both the Summer and Winter Games.
His track coach, Craig Blackman, says Snider has improved a lot. “Previously, you know, as many Special Olympics athletes, it was hard for him to follow sequences … instructions and that kind of stuff. But after about three or four months, he was good, really good.”
Cambridge's Barry Green will also be heading to Abu Dhabi to compete in ten-pin bowling.
Waterloo Region will host the Ontario Special Olympics in May, 2020. For volunteer opportunities, you can check out the Special Olympics Ontario website.
