The University of British Columbia
UBC - A Place of Mind
The University of British Columbia
UBC News
  • Home
  • News Tips
  • Arts & Humanities
  • Business, Law & Society
  • Science, Health & Technology
  • University News
  • Contacts
  • Services
    • Services for Journalists
    • Services for Faculty
Home / 2013 / July / 08 / Eyes on the prize
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Eyes on the prize

Jul 8, 2013 - by Corey Allen

RW0973 770 2

UBC kinesiology grad Raymond Wong trained aspiring Special Olympics athletes (Photo: Martin Dee)

Kinesiology grad Raymond Wong helped Special Olympics athletes prepare for the 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games at UBC’s Vancouver campus.

Lunges. Knee kicks. Jumping jacks.

Raymond Wong, a 2013 UBC kinesiology graduate, recently led a group of track and field athletes with intellectual disabilities through the warm up at Queen Elizabeth Elementary School in Vancouver, on the final day of a weekend long training camp.

Held in early May, the camp is one of many in an ongoing plan developed by Special Olympics B.C. and sports experts from Allinger Consulting Inc. to train athletes from across the province in part for the 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games – to be held on UBC’s Vancouver campus next July.

“Working with the Special Olympians was an incredibly rewarding experience,” says Wong, one of four UBC students who volunteered their expertise. “The athletes and coaches considered us as pros and did not hold back on questions. It helped me build my teaching and leadership skills.”

  • Related story: UBC gears up for 2014 Special Olympics

A higher level of training

Wong put the Special Olympic hopefuls to work with corrective exercises and dry land training, and also advised them on nutrition planning.

“Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” -Special Olympic motto

“We were really grateful to have UBC kinesiology students volunteer,” says Joanna Verweel, SOBC’s health and sport science manager. “Their involvement brought the camp to a higher level because of their kinesiology backgrounds and knowledge, and their ability to connect well with the SOBC coaches and athletes was a huge asset to the camp.”

The series of sport-specific instructional camps by SOBC, which have involved volunteers from both UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, are intended to provide expert training, functional testing and high-performance sport guidance to select athletes from different parts of the province, who will then share lessons learned with other athletes and their coaches in their local community.

Launched last December, SOBC’s Performance Project is inspired by Own the Podium – a technical program started in 2005 by Canada’s leading sports organizations to propel athletes to medal finishes at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Superb athletes want to compete

Jake Hooper. Photo by Julia Dorofeeva

Jake Hooper. Photo by Julia Dorofeeva

For Jake Hooper, who competes in the 100-metre dash, running long jump and shot put and who travelled from Comox Valley to undergo the SOBC training, the camp has had a lasting impact.

“The different techniques we learned from stretching, we’re using them now. Some of the sprinting techniques at the training camp, we also do at practice,” says the 22-year-old. “It was really informative.”

Hooper’s coach, Randy James, says the opportunity for specialized training is rare for most SOBC athletes.

“A lot of people have this notion that Special Olympic athletes don’t compare to generic athletes. But we have some superb athletes that jump phenomenal lengths, run incredible distances, throw extremely far. They want to compete.”

The Special Olympics Canada Summer Games returns to B.C. for the first time in 20 years in 2014. It will be the largest ever with more than 2,000 athletes and coaches competing in 11 sports.

 

Find other stories about: raymond wong, special olympics, UBC, ubc athletics

News Tips

News Tips

Looking for story ideas?
Check out our latest News Tips!

Find UBC Experts

An information source that gives journalists access to UBC’s expertise.

Making a Difference

COVID-19

Learn how UBC is rallying to support Canada's response to COVID-19.

Explore

  • Arts & Humanities
  • Business, Law & Society
  • Science, Health & Technology
  • University News
  • Q&As
  • Media Advisories
  • Latest News

Tweets by @ubcnews

My Tweets
Subscribe & receive news by e-mail View UBC's Okanagan News Room
    
Public Affairs
310 - 6251 Cecil Green Park Road
Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z1
Tel 604 822 6397
Fax 604 822 2684
Website http://news.ubc.ca
Email public.affairs@ubc.ca
Find us on
    
Back to top
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Copyright |
  • Accessibility
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.