The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

mmmloum-M.mmia.zorsozs ,r« ' ‘“ when“ m , _ . .. w (Jamaal-Stag ‘~'*”‘“’ high-level springboard. A j , Aprime-time platfom .,.»_t-?r"":" f, 54.5. NK" 1; f , . Whatever you want to call it, } ‘ its: 33,2. . . ~‘ , -’;’~‘. <4 '.-;~’?"~"" Kitchener-Waterloo soccer play~ m. K, 5 ~ ;~,'~"._1; jg"? at“ " '» on no long:- need to leave town . " " “ véa.‘ “f 3:12, E 5; ’ 51]. Q '__. to play top-tier amateur soccer in ‘ , " " Andloealsowerfanshavethe i “1" ; ' chance to enjoy the beautiful Q A. j" gameintheirwnbackyardWhile 3 M i 1, introducing themselves to Major as ‘ «is [m Stmer prospects and the . F, ‘ ‘ continent's future female football mi standouts. ones walking in the ., 3, 3 ” ‘footsteps of Canadian legend ‘ ‘ Christine Sinclair and Americans ' ‘ ' .. f “a Hope Solo andAbbyWambach. . , , g ,. . » K-W United PC will hit the ‘ \j “<‘g , pitch in the men's Premier Devel- 1 ~ “ , 3m!“ t’flg * " opmentlugueandthe women's l » e Â¥ is? f ‘ V gt” pro-am ill-League at Wilfrid lau- Q . it, 74 g 4 ~_ % rier Universitys Knight-New- r ' m fl it. mewmwmmk- , . "" ' “ ‘ ing over the now-denim Hamil- Vlldterioo‘s Brian Wetzler shows off his snowshoeing gold medals from the 2013 Special OlympicsWorldWinter Games after returning home from ton FC Rage franchise. The Mum South Korea. leagues operate under the WWW um rella of the United Soccer ’ Ingres, a professional and amaâ€" ‘ C - teur soccer organization that stretches from Canada to across the United States. Sinclair. Solo and Wambach areal! formerW-Ieague players. Bvloanm Eur natural at distance racing and 109 medals, including“ gold. tion and cultural exchange. The . 3?ng gnnedlzrken $112!“ ChronicleStafi started competing in the 3,000», lulie got to see the results first- languages. the food. the new m h reat . es Y‘s“ 5.000- and 15,000-metre runs hand too. Shecoached the Canadi- friends, his new German team With the C icago F're‘ Chicago t all started by accident really. along with the odd marathon. At an snowshoeing team to a 23â€" jacket -â€" which he traded his lnfemo. TorontoLynx, Forest Cm IBrian Wetzler's first athletic the local Special Olympic level or medal performance spread out Canadian parka forâ€" and the fact London, ”WW“ BUG“ and love was not snowshoeing, it at Waterloo running series meets, amongst 16 athletes. that they could find a Domino's RM" City (inmsville, Ky)_ Rowena} was not even distance running â€" Brian was game fora race. “My heart was filled with joy pizza parlour all the way overseas The'women wrll plfay m the . ' both of which have become his And that is where snowshoeing when Brian was on the podium.” in South Korea, those were the Leagues Central 00" GREECE 31th specialties comes in. lulie said. “i was happy for him. 1 things that really counted. the I?“ Come'ts, on bon Nope. When the 35-year-old As a way to keep her Special was happy for the team. 1 was “It was all the little things that Gryp ons. Ottawa ury. Que ec Special Olympian from Waterloo Olympians in race shape during happyasa parent and coach. impressed him." lulie said. “It was (“Hy Amira and Toronto Lady was looking for sports to compete the winter, it was suggested to lulie “He worked hard and he earned a phenomenal experience," I)“; h f“. d . h in. his parents. Julie and loe, had she introduce snowshoeing to it.“ Hopefully not thelast either. h l? Learns Ere a l'éiebwnd him in everything from soccer to local athletes in 2005. after receiv- But all those glitzy gold medals Already. their thoughts have t e mrtccae‘ngzanosccer u an. floor hockey to swimming. ing a donation of a dozen snow- were an afterthought for Brian, tumed toward the summer pnm'nv Sgtwe l a wh' h hr “if?” Some he enjoyed. Some. like shoes. the sport was off and who has developmental disabili- cial games in Vaughan. where ‘ age; 00' KWCU c‘ aggpcl‘s swimming. he had difficulty in. stomping in Kitchener-Waterloo. ties but can compete athletically Brian, who works with Tri-(Iity 23:33 rom . be ntée fham Those long legs â€" Brian is a lean And Brian, with those long “with the best ofthem." lulie said, Track Club coach Peter hrinbergs, . ‘ ”Sim Li. tie ts 9 Fl] and lanky six-foot-four â€" kept dis- strides, was again a natural. "I had my hands raised because will be competing in shot put and mg]?! , life'svégflwwa.“ qualifying him from swimming “That certainly helps," lulie i had broken my (personal-best) the 3.000- and 5,000-metre runs. 5p ”an“; d h 00 1 '."°' , competitions because he kept said. "And with that endurance. he time.” he said. “And then l realized. Even the 2017 Special Olympic occer u 11" ( ejout yrng touching the bottom ofthe pool. just goes and goes and goes" 'Hey. i got a medal.“ Winter Games are hovering in the gum” ' presr ent Barry “So when i started working with it was snowshoeing that pro- it was all a bit weird for Brian. distance. The competition is being afTh ' f h“ l . ‘ the trackth in 2001. I told Brian pelled Brian to his first-ever Spe< who was not focused on medals or hosted by Austria, which has spe~ fan astie 522518; ‘ 's eague ls he had to join." lulie said. “i need- cial Olympics World Mnter Games decimating the competition. cial significanrv in the Wetzler tk 9 eclean. a sports ed him to help carry the equip- earlier this month in Pyeongchang, although he has had a hard time household. Julie‘s husband ice is "f“ eting executilye and 098. merit." South Korea. as the double-gold- hiding his golden medallions since from the region north of Salzburg. HIT“: s‘soccer coac at “law”? That is when the Wetzlers medallist in the 1,600- and 5,000- returning to Canada. "we have three athletes with and an “I‘m: p rm learned those long legs can come metre races. with a bronze to boot Wetzlcr wanted to be at his best their sights so: on Austria." lulie ' '.' f lineaIunbelievaP 099mm“ inhandy, in the “MOO-metre relay. helped and soak in as much as possible said. "And I know l'd love to go mty or £333“ 2 Nth a solid stride. Brian was a Canada to its best-ever finish â€" during the two weeks of competi~ there too" it onoage 6