Cochrane golfer Paul Oldridge is one of 135 athletes selected to be a part of Team Alberta for the 2018 Special Olympics.
The 36-year-old Oldridge will compete in the 2018 Special Olympic Canada Summer Games in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, from July 31 to Aug. 4.
Oldridge was very happy when he heard he had been selected to represent his province.
“I’m just very proud and very privileged to have been selected to play for Team Alberta … I’m really excited for the games,” Oldridge said.
The team was selected for the 2018 games based on results from the 2017 Alberta Special Olympics Summer Games in Medicine Hat … Oldridge booked his ticket to Nova Scotia with a very successful tournament.
“There were the provincial games that were in Medicine Hat, where I won a gold medal in the men’s third division … I would think finishing with the gold would have something to do with my selection,” Oldridge said.
With the games taking place at the end of July into early August, Oldridge says he’ll be training very hard in order to be ready to compete.
“We golf almost every Tuesday … I think there will be some training camps in the winter, and then some more training in the spring time before competition (in July),” Oldridge said.
“There will probably be some extra training and practices just before the games as well.”
Although he’s not sure how the tournament will go, Oldridge is looking to do the best he can to represent the town of Cochrane.
“I hope to win the tournament, but I’m going to go and have fun, and enjoy myself,” Oldridge said.
“If I win, then I win but I’m hoping to win, but you never know. It depends on how I play and how the competition plays.”
The Alberta golf team will consist of seven golfers including Oldridge, they’ll be accompanied by Edmonton-based head coach Bill McLaren as well as five caddies.
The Special Olympics in Alberta is dedicated to enriching the lives of Albertans with intellectual disabilities through the transformational power and joy of sport.
Its programs cater to all ages and a wide range of abilities and include more than 3,300 athletes in more than 140 communities across Alberta.
