Special Olympics team off to Winter Games

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

A confident, 23-member Jamaica Special Olympics delegation left yesterday to participate in the World Winter Games, to be held in Boise, Idaho, United States, from February 7-13.

"We have trained hard and we are expecting to go out there and do our best," said Glendon West, head of the delegation. "We don't know our competitors and we don't know who we will be playing against, but we are ready for the task ahead."

The Jamaicans, who won seven medals - four gold, one silver and two bronze - in the last tournament in Japan, in 2005, will be participating in floor hockey and roller skating.

West added they are also looking forward to surpassing their medal haul from the Japan Games.

"We know that it is very cold over there now, and most of our athletes have never been in the cold before, but once we get ourselves acclimatised and things start going for us, then I think we can surpass that tally," noted West.

Captian Shirley Tomlinson is the medical officer for the team. The coaches are Ann-Marie Scott-More, Sandra Elliot and Jacqueline Bennett.

The floor hockey team members are Craig Nelson, Kevine Richardson, Damion Bailey, David Thompson, Andrew Hinds, Lucan Jones, Richard Oates, Jermaine White, Winfred Ellis, Kevoy Whittingham, Errington Gordon, Dexter Haughton, Dayne McCallum, Jason Grant, Matthew Tarawali and Dwight Brooks.

Richard Hillary and Monique Brown will carry the national colours in roller skating.