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Special Olympics floor hockey players representing Sudbury

Sudbury Miners floor hockey team playing at tournament in Newmarket this coming weekend in a bid to qualify for provincial tournament    
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The Sudbury Miners Special Olympics floor hockey team are off to Newmarket for a Special Olympics qualifying tournament, May 5-7.

A group of Sudbury floor hockey players will be bringing their hopes, dreams and best playing skills to a Special Olympics qualifying tournament being held in Newmarket this weekend, May 5-7.

One of their coaches, Joanne Pendrak, a retired Greater Sudbury Police Service officer, said she is looking forward to the tournament, not just because the Sudbury team could play well, but also because she loves seeing the team bringing heart and soul into the game.

She said the athletes are a diverse mix of men and women of different ages with different levels of ability.

She said the floor hockey program is a spin-off from the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics, which is the charity of choice for police services in Ontario. 

Pendrak said some of the floor hockey athletes might be seen as faster and more able than others, but she said they're all stars.

Heart and soul

"They all give their heart and soul when they play a game," she said. 

Pendrak said the current team heading off to the Newmarket tournament are the Sudbury Miners, who recently won the Cops to Conquer Cancer cup, and are the official Sudbury Special Olympics floor hockey team.

Pendrak said the effort is more than just for bragging rights. She said the Sudbury team has not actually qualified yet for the provincial level games in 2024, but the hope is there that the Sudbury Miners will qualify for next year's event.

Pendrak said the Special Olympics operates at more than one level of ability and with that in mind, there is double the chance that Sudbury can qualify for one of the two ability levels. She said their total wins and losses will let the teams know what division they will eventually play in.

The best part, Pendrak said, is that the tournament gives everyone a huge confidence boost and the players are excited and looking forward to it.

Another significant benefit she said is the physical payoff for each person in terms of exercise and mobility. 

"This is like a huge health benefit. They get out, they get mobile, they're involved with, you know, other folks in the community."

Pendrak said it is also a way of maintaining friendships. "I mean this is our group, it's our family,"

Len Gillis is a reporter at Sudbury.com.


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Len Gillis

About the Author: Len Gillis

Graduating from the Journalism program at Canadore College in the 1970s, Gillis has spent most of his career reporting on news events across Northern Ontario with several radio, television and newspaper companies. He also spent time as a hardrock miner.
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