Nine out of the 16 athletes in region 8 that has been named to Special Olympics Team BC. From left to right: Linda Renner, Josh Pudney, Tyler Lefebvre, David Dunn, Carol West, Darcie Muzychka, Michaela Samsonoff, Barbie Conway, Angela Hills.

By Tommy Osborne

Special Olympics Team BC

Prince George athletes to compete in national games

Oct 7, 2025 | 3:56 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Even though the 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games wrapped up in July, athletes have continued to train hard for the upcoming 2026 Special Olympics National Summer Games. Team BC has been named, and the following 16 athletes from Region 8 will be joining the team to compete in Medicine Hat, Alberta:

• Ten pin bowling: Barbie Conway, Carol West, Emilie Snyders, Greg Cole, Linda Renner.
• Track and Field: Tyler Lefebvre, Bailie Gemmell, Dean Cake, Tiasharon Billyboy-Voigt
• Golf: Josh Pudney, Brett Tassell
• Swimming: David Dunn
• Rhythmic Gymnastics: Angela Hills, Darcie Muzychka, Michaela Samsonoff
• Powerlifting: Pierce Northcott

“I’m really looking forward to Team BC,” Lefebvre said.

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“It’s very cool that I got qualified for the nationals,” Hills added.

The national games will take place from August 11-15 in 2026, and the athletes are excited to continue improving their skills and gain some new experiences.

“To go to a different scene I haven’t been to before, it’s probably going to be a lot of fun,” Pudney said.

Looking back on the 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games hosted in Prince George, the athletes said it was a great feeling to excel in their respective sports and bring home some medals, so they’re training hard to hopefully bring some more medals back from the upcoming national games.

“(I’m training) really hard to try to beat my time and go really fast,” Lefebvre said.

“It was very exciting for me to win this gold medal for golf,” Pudney added.

While the competition and sport is obviously something to look forward to, the community is also a big feature of these events, and meeting new people and coaches is also a highly anticipated highlight.

“I’m excited to verse new people in nationals and meet my coaches down there as well,” Pudney said.

“(I’m excited to) meet my coach, compete in track,” Lefebvre added.

In total, 206 athletes from Team BC will be competing in nationals, and the event is expected to bring around 1700 athletes to Medicine Hat.

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