Off to London, Ontario with Team BC!

Just two days to go now before Cory joins his Team BC teammates on a flight to London, Ontario to participate in Special Olympics' National Summer Games in 5 Pin Bowling. He is really excited about the experience and is really looking forward to it. Team BC athletes receive a lot of gear from Special Olympics for their trip....here's Cory proudly wearing some of it:




Cory is a bowler as well as a ski racer with Special Olympics and next March hopes to qualify for the National Winter Games in St. Albert, Alberta in 2012 in alpine skiing.

But for now it's 5 Pin Bowling, which is played only in Canada so unfortunately there is no opportunity for Cory to qualify for the World Summer Games in Greece next year.

He has been working hard over the last few months, practicing 3 to 5 times a week, often on his own, sometimes with his teammates and coach, other times with me. Special Olympics uses a pins over average system, which makes it fair for bowlers of all abilities. But with Cory's average of 209, he will need to bowl exceptionally well in order to have the opportunity to medal. The average for most Special Olympics athletes is probably under 150. He has averaged 216 over his last 30 practice games, including a 336 just last weekend. So he seems to be ready.

Here he is, in the middle, with this Team BC teammates, wearing their Team BC uniforms. We'll be waving that flag in the bowling alley in London next week:




Practicing here....working on staying low and delivering the ball smoothly onto the floor, keeping his shoulders square to the pins, hitting his target (in this case one board right of the middle marker) and following through with his right hand in line with his right shoulder. His ball sometimes has a tendency to move to the left, and in this case that's a good thing as it moves across the front of the head pin on the way down and hits it on the left...




On this shot, he stays low, follows through right up to his shoulder, hits his target just right of the middle marker, and his ball stays straight and hits the head pin on the right:




But it doesn't always work out quite perfectly...








More Team BC gear:














This is what Team BC athletes will wear as they march into TD Waterhouse Stadium at the University of Western Ontario during the Opening Ceremonies next Tuesday evening:
























So it's goodbye west coast....lookout London! Cory's team practices next Tuesday and competes on Wednesday and Thursday mornings and Friday afternoon, for the right to compete for medals on Saturday July 17. We'll update each day beginning on Tuesday. See you then, from the 2010 Special Olympics National Summer Games in London, Ontario.