Lauren Smythies
Local / Community
Delta
When and how did you get involved with Special Olympics?
I started with Special Olympics in January 2014, in Lethbridge, AB. I was taking a course that required me to spend one hour with two different adapted programs, and I chose SO swimming for one of them (I was a variety athlete). I walked on the deck for my first practice and knew immediately I’d be involved for many more years, more then just the one hour that was required. I coached in Lethbridge while I finished my undergraduate degree, then left in December 2014. In 2015 I started coaching with SOBC in Duncan while working towards being accepted into my masters program. I left SOBC and headed back to Alberta in June 2016, then started coaching swimming in Edmonton in October 2016. I volunteered there until I graduated (again) in December 2018, and then moved back to BC and started coaching in Delta in 2019. I’m grateful to know so many athletes across BC and Alberta now, but very happy to be able to stick with one local now! So I guess I am coming up to year 12!
Will this be your first Special Olympics Canada Games? If not, what other National Games were you part of and in what role(s)?
First as a coach! I had the opportunity to attend Nationals in 2018 as a spectator and volunteered with fun fitness during the healthy athletes screening.
What does being part of Special Olympics Team BC 2026 mean to you?
It means a lot to me. When I first started coaching in Lethbridge, the head coach had been to the World Games, which I thought was SO cool. I’ve been wanting to be selected to coach since that first year, and I’m glad I’ve finally lived somewhere long enough to go through a whole cycle of games and be able to move forward!
What is/are your goal(s) for National Games?
To help shape the best experience possible for the team as a whole. I want to help all of the athletes achieve their best.
What is your favourite Special Olympics experience to date?
How can I pick just one! There are so many, and new ones happening at every practice. Seeing how proud everyone was of their medals at Provincials this summer was awesome, but I also have a swimmer who just learned how to swim an entire length of the pool!
What does competing at National Games mean to your athletes? (Or, if this is your first National Games, competition in general)
They are so excited! It means a lot to be selected to move forwards.
What developments are you excited to see in your Team BC sport team leading up to National Games?
Coming together as a team, even though we are an individual sport.
What would you say about Special Olympics to encourage someone to get involved?
Just go to one practice, you’ll never want to leave.