When Jessica Swanston started bowling for fun, she never thought it would take her to the Special Olympics.
Swanston is one of 60 students selected from across the province to compete in the 5-pin bowling tournament at the 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Vancouver.
While attending Norwell District Secondary School in Palmerston, the 19-year-old became involved in a program that offered swimming and bowling a few times a week, with scores sent to the Special Olympics Ontario committee.
From there, Swanston was selected to compete in a provincial tournament in Kingston, with her scores from that event enabling her to qualify for the national competition in Vancouver, July 8 to 12.
To make her dream a reality, Swanston had to fundraise $1,000 to cover the cost of her flight, uniform, tournaments and bowling fees. She reached that total and then surpassed it. Now all that’s left to do is practice.
To ensure she maintains her skills, Swanston has been bowling with the Special Olympics league in Elmira, where she has made many friends.
“Anytime (I) get a strike or spare, the whole room gets excited,” she says.
The league is organized by Elmira District Community Living’s recreational committee and bowls Tuesdays and Wednesday at 4pm. Swanston is also doing some one-on-one training after school whenever she can with the league’s coordinator, in preparation for the games.
Despite her excitement to visit Vancouver and meet her new teammates, Swanston couldn’t be more nonchalant about the prospect of bowling in front of a large audience.
“When I’m up at the place you bowl, I just stand there and I can tune everybody out,” she says. “I just look at the middle pin, because the middle pin is your highest score. So I just look at that, and I usually get a spare or strike.”
Although Swanston will be flying to Vancouver with her teammates, her grandparents John and Helen Broadfoot, whom she lives with outside of Elora, will be meeting her in the city to watch her compete.
After her adventure this summer, Swanston will continue to attend Centre Wellington High School in Fergus until she is 21, and hopefully keep bowling.
“I just like playing the game,” she says. “It’s easy enough.”
Josephine Durrant, from north Wellington will also be competing in the five-pin bowling event this summer at the games.
The Special Olympics are held every four years, and now feature 11 Sports. To qualify, students must be registered with Special Olympics and have an intellectual disability.
