Though excitement abounded for all five locals who represented Sudbury with pride earlier this month at the Special Olympics Canada Games Medicine Hat 2026, the festivities out west were extra special for both Danie Houle and Renée Valade.

Both women were making their very first appearance at the national championships, with Houle earning a gold medal competing in ten-pin bowling, a sport where her patience is definitely rewarded.

"I don't get a lot of strikes because my ball kind of curves - but I am good on spares," said the long-time local competitor. Though Houle had earned gold at both qualifiers and provincials in the past, she had never made it to the Canada Games, learning of the honour in a very special way.

"They surprised me at camp, actually," she said. "My auntie Vicki had our family over and took out a piece of paper, hidden, and gave it to me and told me I was going to nationals. I bust into tears."

Now 32 years of age, Houle was particularly elated to share the experience with her family, her mother (Lynne) a coach and administrator for decades with the program in Sudbury and area but making the trip this time solely as a mom.

"The thing that was really cool was that my parents came down and my sister came down," said Houle. "I got to spend a day with them."

Also breaking through for the first time was 35 year-old Renée Valade, a five-pin bowler and bocce talent who was participating in the latter at the Big Marble Go Centre with her approach to the competition well engrained.

"I just focus on myself," said Valade. "I am just focusing on my game, not talking with the other player. But it is important knowing what your opponent is good at."

Born and raised in Sudbury and blessed with two decades or so of involvement with the Special Olympics program, Valade noted that her throwing motion in bocce, attempting to place the ball as close as possible to the palina, is not terribly dissimilar to the arm movement she uses in bowling.

While Houle and Valade were taking in everything for the very first time, two-time world championship powerlifter Josée Seguin is more than accustomed of all that is entailed when one gathers some 1,700 athletes from right across the country to a singular location for five days of competition and fun.

"You've got to find your motivation and keep going with it," said Seguin, proudly displaying all four gold medals that she earned in Alberta. "Knowing that nationals were coming up and possibly having a chance to go to Worlds in 2027 helped me keep going."

The World Games Santiago 2027 are set to take place in Chile next October, with Seguin part of the action in both Abu Dahbi in 2019 and Berlin - Germany in 2023.

Despite all this, Seguin makes sure to take a moment to take it all in.

"This was my first time in Calgary and Medicine Hat," she said. "The teepee stuck out; the tallest in Canada. It has pictures of all of the indigenous people, very colourful - and is lit up in red at night."

The versatility of 38 year-old Eric Gervais came to the forefront as the local man who has qualified previously in both track and field and snowshoeing made Team Ontario this time in bocce, a relatively new endeavour for the man who has his heart set on trying to earn a berth at Worlds.

"I started with bocce just before Covid - and am getting better at it," said Gervais. "The key is not to be too excited. If you get excited, you don't play so good."

While he fell just short of reaching the podium, beaten in the bronze medal match, Gervais was generally pleased with his overall efforts. "I slowed myself down and did not go too fast," he said. "And I was positive and tried my best."

Rounding out the Sudbury quintet was swimmer Jesse Gascon, who earned a silver and bronze while competing in the 100m freestyle as well as the 100m individual medley.