Kelowna Women Inducted into Special Olympics BC Hall of Fame - Sports

Kelowna athlete Kelsey Weiss has been inducted into the Special Olympics BC Hall of Fame.

Since its inception in 2007, Wise has excelled in both summer and winter sports and has competed in many Special Olympics regional, state, national and world competitions.

She was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2022 SOBC Leadership Summit ceremony on September 17.

“I’m so excited, grateful, surprised and proud,” Weisz said at the Hall of Fame ceremony.

“Special Olympics was important to me because I learned a lot of sports that I didn’t know how to do. I didn’t know softball, I’ve had a very healthy life that I’ve learned as a Special Olympics athlete, I’ve had a lot of great coaches who have helped me become a better athlete and a better person. was very lucky.”

Competing in alpine skiing at the inaugural Special Olympics Canada Games in 2008, Wise qualified for Team Canada at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho. She has done great things on the slopes. This was her first world competition, but not her last.

At the same time, Wise continued to shine in swimming. After years of intense training, she put on an unprecedented performance in the pool at the 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Vancouver and competed at the 2015 Special Olympics International in Los Angeles, California. Named to Team Canada for the Summer Games. There she stood on the podium at multiple events and set the fastest overall time among female swimmers at those events.

In 2018, Wise decided to move away from alpine skiing and into cross-country skiing. She applied her diligent training and her athletic prowess to success as a cross-country skier her racer who competed in the 2020 Special Her Olympics her Canadian Winter Games. There, she qualified for her Olympic World Winter Games Special in her third sport.

Wise was named to Special Olympics Team Canada for cross-country skiing at the upcoming Special Olympics International Winter Games in Kazan, Russia. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these World Games had to be postponed until 2022 and then until 2023. Canceled due to political conflict. This was very disappointing for all his team his Canadian members, but Wise used all that training to keep improving his skills and striving for personal bests.

Wise is always recognized as a team member cheerleader. Her bright smile, positive attitude and her hard work make her a valued member of any team. She takes her training very seriously and often she spends even more time on herself to help her reach her full potential. She listens to her coaches and works hard to incorporate their coaching tips to constantly improve her sports skills.