Brett's Story
Brett's Story
Hi, my name is Brett Griffiths. I have been involved in Special Olympics Manitoba for over ten years. I started with “through the school program” and have since participated in softball, bocce ball, and finally my true love curling! I have been curling for six years now.
I have always been a big sports fan but from the sideline because I never felt comfortable enough to participate until I found Special Olympics. Special Olympics has given me the opportunity to participate in a sport that I love while being able to be myself. The biggest difference in my life since joining Special Olympics is my friends. Without Special Olympics I would never have met my two best friends and teammates Kali and Marty. We do everything together, whether its curling, hanging out or texting. They are family now. I also must give a quick shout out to my head coach Linda and assistant coaches, Michelle, Randy, Dave, and Andrew. Linda and Michelle especially are both amazing people! I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for them pushing me at practice and encouraging me in life!
My first and only national games so far were in 2016 in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland. Other than almost getting stuck there due to a blizzard, it was awesome! Meeting other athletes from all over the country and trading pins with them was a highlight. We only won one game, but it didn’t matter, we had so much fun. I still get chills every time I think about being on the ice. Getting to wear the Manitoba colors on my back was an honor and is something I will never forget.
This pandemic has certainly made everyone come up with new ways to stay active and stay connected to our friends and family. I have been involved in the Special Olympics Manitoba Spirit Series doing all the awesome workouts that have been offered and the HealthMessenger ALP. It Is a great way to stay active and stay connected to your friends! If you have not signed up already, I really hope you do, and I look forward to seeing you there! If you have access to the technology, doing video calls is a really good way to stay connected. My curling team: Hack Attack, have been having weekly zoom calls to check on everyone and see how life is treating them. I also do weekly video calls with my friends Kali and Marty and sometimes we chat for hours! I know this pandemic has been hard on everyone, but I encourage everyone to stay positive, keep wearing a mask and practice social distancing. If we can all do this then hopefully, as my curling friends would say, we can all “hurry hard,” back into the things we love to do next fall!
