Inspiration found at Special Olympics Winter Games in Whitefish

Dax VanFossen - MTN News Kalispell KPAX 8 .com:

WHITEFISH - Athletes with disabilities have been able to show their strengths through the power or sports at the State Winter Games in Montana for two decades, but the games inspire more than just the athletes.

You'd be hard pressed to find a better backdrop than Whitefish Mountain Resort for the 20th annual State Winter Games for Special Olympics of Montana. And while the competitions are very important to the athletes, we found out they are extremely important to the family members of the athletes as well.

"It's a game changer, it's added a piece to our life that has a ripple effect that you wouldn't be able to describe. But the experience has been life altering for both our family and Abbie's experience of being in the world," explained Mamie Flinn, whose daughter has Down Syndrome.

25-year-old Sarnia man to become one of the first disabled Ontario residents to compete in swim/bike/run event

by Terry Bridge from Sarnia Observer:
Several years ago, Wes Harding was inspired to run a road race with a partner who had a disability but wasn't sure who would be the proper fit until one fateful day at a local gas station.
Harding had known Cody Daye since he was around the age of six when he taught him Sunday School at Temple Baptist Church.
But he hadn't seen Daye for a couple of years and, when looking for his first captain – a person with a disability who partners in an endurance race with an able-bodied 'angel' – he just happened to cross paths with the Daye family while refueling his vehicle.
“Cody's eyes just lit right up, and I said to my wife, 'That's going to be my first captain,'” Harding recalled.