Canterbury was up against the likes of Otago, Auckland, Whakatane and Thames Valley, and for Adele, an athlete with a disability, it was her very first time bowling within a national competition.
Her elder brother Greg and a niece were there in support on Wednesday as she and about 1200 athletes attended the opening of the Games at Wolfbrook Arena yesterday.
Over the next few days Adele and others, will continue to bowl ends in an intense competition.
One of the North Island coaches said the team members from Hamilton, Auckland and Tauranga regularly meet several times a year, but this national competition was a step further.
Adele was brought up in Christchurch, and after a spell with her family in Alexandra, Central Otago returned to the Garden City.
Her father worked as a ‘ganger’, or track maintenance supervisor, for New Zealand Railways.
She attended Avonside Girls High School and is proud these days to be independent in many ways.
Her home is now in Woolston and she regularly bowls as a member of the Garden City Indoor Bowling Club, having her initial interest in the sport sparked by friends talking about it.
She is also a member of the St. Paul's Indoor Bowls Club, based in Dallington, and through that club has won indoor bowls triples and pairs competitions in Canterbury.
The National Summer Games had started well for her, a bonus event for her and something her family was providing backing for. “I’ve enjoyed it because it’s the first time I’ve been to it (as a national event).
“I’ve got three nieces and a nephew, they’re proud of me. I’ve got (nieces) Sarah, Tamara and Kate and Sam.”
Garden City Indoor Bowls Club president Norm Ellis said Adele was in regular contact with him, keeping up with the club news and any fun chat. She had a lovely heart in terms of her interactions with other club members.
Otago indoor bowls team coach, Judy Howard, said her daughter Tegan, a bowler with a disability, was looking forward to competing against Adele. There was already an unlikely connection between the two, she noted. Tegan’s boyfriend Jason McGregor is Adele’s cousin.
Tegan works with a Dunedin City Council disability advisory group on disability provisions, for example for people at bus stops. In 2026 she plans to do a Special Olympics athlete leadership programme.
The Otautahi-based games run through to December 14 at multiple venues, and athletes with intellectual disabilities will show off their best in various disciplines – also including athletics, swimming, basketball, and horse-riding being just some of them.
This is the first time since 2005 that Otautahi has hosted the pinnacle event, and the volunteers are at the core of making sure everyone participating or watching enjoys the spectacle in the best possible fashion.
The National Summer Games is the largest inclusive sports event in the country.
Some of the many hundreds of family members that will support the participants yesterday raised their arms in support at the opening ceremony. They will continue to proudly show their support as they watch such events as indoor bowls, golf and football.
The games, also including tenpin bowling and powerlifting, will be held across six venues in Christchurch, including the brand new Parakiore Recreation and Sports Centre.
Held every four years, the games are a major high point for athletes with an intellectual disability. Athletes who successfully compete at the national Special Olympics are eligible to compete at the 2027 World Special Olympics in Chile.
Special Olympics New Zealand represents over 4000 athletes at 42 clubs all over New Zealand.
-Allied Media
