Since the fall of 2007, Tyler Chapman has been working towards his goal of participating in the Special Olympics.
Chapman is a speed skater. He participated in the Special Olympics Winter Games in and around Edmonton, including Leduc Feb. 11-13. He won four gold medals in the 111, 222, 333 and 500 races of the senior men’s speed-skating event.
“It was a lot of fun; there were a lot of excited people there,” said Chapman.
Chapman was the only skater from Barrhead participating. He splits his time training with his father at the Barrhead Agrena, where he works on time trials, and with the Edmonton Special Olympics group in Edmonton.
However, the road to the Special Olympics is long.
First, Special Olympics Canada looks at the number of skaters that participated in Edmonton. Next, they allocate points based on individual medal results. Based on the points awarded, each skater is ranked within the province.
Each province will then select the top athletes from the province to join the provincial team.
“Tyler could get selected to participate in the next stage of qualifying for the Special Olympics, but we won’t know for a while,” said Tyler’s father Bill Chapman.
