Special Olympics Fort St. John looks to get new coaches involved as it hosts annual general meeting

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C — Special Olympics Fort St. John will host its annual general meeting on Thursday, June 25th, with several roles up for grabs.

The meeting, scheduled to take place at Pomeroy Sport Centre, will include a quick recap of the year and is seeking volunteers to fill positions, according to local coordinator Kathy Turney.

Turney said the organization, dedicated to fostering growth and progress for athletes with intellectual disabilities, is celebrating four decades in Fort St. John and held its annual golf tournament this past weekend at Fort St. John Links golf course.

“All positions can be up for grabs at our annual general meeting,” Turney told Energeticcity.ca. “We do have somebody who has stepped up as a treasurer and a secretary for next year, so that’s perfect.”

Positions in Special Olympics Fort St. John are for a one-year term, as athletes gear up for the next BC Special Olympics Winter Games, set for 2027 in Kelowna. 

Team members from Fort St. John participated in regional qualifiers and will know whether or not they will advance to the Okanagan come fall, said Turney.

The entire outfit, from top to bottom, is run by volunteers, and currently, Special Olympics Fort St. John has a roster of 23 athletes.

Sports include five-pin bowling, a club-fit gym program, golf, and swimming, with bowlers participating in 2027 games.

“Even locally, we operate with very little cost to our athletes,” explained Turney. “Our athletes generally pay $20 a year per sport to participate, and we cover the cost of everything else.”

“We cover the venue costs, the travel costs, sports equipment costs, everything else is covered by fundraising.”

Turney said positions available include local coordinator, program coordinator, and fundraising coordinator.

She emphasized above all that more coaches are needed for local athletes.

“[A] coach’s commitment is one sport practice a week from October until the end of April,” said Turney. “We need assistant bowling coaches. We do not have a swim coach for next year [and] we didn’t even have golf coaches for this season, so we are looking for golf coaches.”

The Special Olympics Fort St. John annual general meeting will take place on Thursday, June 25th, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Pomeroy Sport Centre, located at 9324 96th Street in Fort St. John.