Coquitlam athletes help bring home gold medal in Softball at Canadian Special Olympics

The Special Olympics Canada Summer games took place from Aug. 11-15 in Medicine Hat Alberta, with 24 athletes and 7 coaches hailing from Coquitlam. 

Over 244 athletes with intellectual or developmental disabilities represented B.C., alongside 75 volunteer coaches and 22 mission staff. Athletes competed across 10 sports: basketball, bocce, softball, swimming, 10-pin bowling, golf, powerlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, soccer and track and field.  

“We’re really doing our best, and it’s just a real honour to represent the province. It’s really cool. Everything’s been really spectacular,” said B.C. Tiger’s softball player Terrance Poirier in an interview with the Dispatch. 

Primarily playing first and second base, Poirier has been on the team for four years after a friend talked him into joining and he’s since been “having the best time of my life.” 

Head coach Noah Musgrave also joined four years ago and said the opportunity is “one of the coolest things that I’ve ever done.”

There are 15 athletes on the team and Musgrave said some of the athletes have been teammates for over a decade. 

“Most of the people on the team have been teammates and friends in Coquitlam their entire lives. It’s just cool to see [them] going from McLean Park in Port Coquitlam at a local tournament to playing [the Special Olympics] in Medicine Hat. It’s pretty surreal.”

At 63, Poirier is one of the older athletes on the team, but that hasn’t stopped him from achieving his goals and he hopes to play for as long as he can.

“Ever since I joined, I keep actually improving and I’m not slowing down yet. I just want to keep pushing forward,” said Poirier. “I’m super proud. Not too many people … get a chance to represent the whole province,” he said. 

A total of 12 softball teams competed and the B.C. Tigers took home the gold medal in their division. 

Musgrave said there are several memories from these games that will be sticking with him, like the opening ceremony or the team spending quality time together at the end of the day. 

“[I’m] just super proud of how everyone has come together as a team over these past couple years. We were up in Prince George last summer working with pretty minimal sleep, and have made it all the way here,” said Musgrave.  

“One of the best things for me is just seeing the smiles. It means so much for [the athletes] to be here, and I’m just glad that I get to come along for the ride because they are the reason that we are here. We’re just happy that we get to support them and be on this journey with them.”