Shelburne County Special Olympian captures snowshoeing gold wearing boot cast

A boot cast didn't stop Shelburne County Special Olympian Nikitia Penney from winning two gold medals at the Special Olympics Nova Scotia Snowshoe Meet in Bedford on March. 5.

Penney, 24, won gold in the 100 and 200-metre races.

“My passion is snowshoeing,” says Penney, who has been involved in Special Olympics for 12 years. “I practice at BMHS and on the Barrington track all the time with my mom Leeann. I train at the gym with Krista Peterson to get strong.”

Penney had previously won two gold medals in Greenwood at the national level. “I'm hoping to make it to the nationals in 2024 in Calgary on Team Nova Scotia,” she says, thanking her coaches and regional coordinator Kim Arcon for their support.

Penney wasn't the only medal winner from Shelburne County at the snowshoe meet. First-time provincial competitor David Maxwell won bronze medals in the 100 and 200 metres in his division.

“This was his first trip to a provincial event as a new athlete who just joined the team in September,” says Arcon. “David showed the true spirit

In his first time competing at the provincial level, Shelburne County Special Olympian David Maxwell won bronze medals in the 100 and 200 metre races in his division. at the Special Olympics Nova Scotia Snowshoe Meet in Bedford on March. 5. of an Olympian by stopping mid-race to assist a competitor who fell. We are pretty proud of them all.”

Also competing was Gillian Harris who placed fourth in her division.

The Shelburne County Special Olympics Floor Hockey team and the two Yarmouth Curling teams were gold medal winners at the Special Olympics Nova Scotia Winter Games, which took place Feb. 10-12 at 14 Wing Greenwood. “We had an excellent time at winter games,” says Arcon.

While the Clare Curling Team finished just out of the medals at the Winter Games, placing fourth in their division. "They had a great time during the weekend,” says regional coordinator Bob Comeau.

Clare Special Olympics is getting ready for the return of its largest event of the year – the Casino Night fundraiser being held on April 29 at the Clare Veteran's Centre.

“We had to postpone in 2020, 2021 and 2022. We are finally back with the support of our local businesses,” says Comeau. “We plan on having a great evening. We've collected lots of seafood gift cards and lots of other prizes for our silent auction, fishing for seafood prizes, crown and anchor wheel and our live auction. We also have a Plinko game board and 10 blackjack tables. We hope to see a lot of people come and join us."

Comeau says Clare Special Olympics is hoping to send more athletes to the summer games being held July 7 to 9 at Acadia University.

In Shelburne County,

Arcon says the floor hockey team under the direction of Donovan Reiter and Steve Goreham Jr., “is still playing once a week for the love of the game and with high hopes, they'll be invited to attend the 2024 Nationals. We should hear by the end of March who will represent N.S. in Calgary.”

Shelburne County athletes will start training for the Summer Provincial Games in May, says Arcon.

“In the meantime, we have generic gym nights twice a month to stay active and a social evening once a month where they do arts and crafts, play board games and music and will take local road trips once the weather gets nicer. Our fundraising volunteers host a biweekly Christmas crafting luncheon where athletes make ornaments that will be sold at a craft fair closer to the holidays.”

More than 40 Special Olympians, their coaches and team support volunteers from the tri-counties attended the Special Olympics Nova Scotia Winter Games this year.