Through my lens covering Snow Sports
Written by: Sarah Profitt-Wagner | Communications Liaison, Special Olympics Team Canada 2025
Hello all! Sarah Profitt-Wagner here, one of Special Olympics Team Canada’s Communications Liaisons. I have spent the last week in Sestriere and Pragelato covering Alpine, Cross Country, Snowshoe. During this time I have been photographing the team in action, coordinating media requests, and sharing the story of Special Olympics Team Canada on social media and through the newsletter.
When I was new in my career with Special Olympics PEI, the parent of one of our athletes told me something that has stuck with me ever since. We were at a Provincial Games, and I witnessed how excited the athletes were for this weekend of competition. I knew that it was meaningful, however this parent, who is also a coach, really brought it home for me.
He said that while Special Olympics staff, leadership and coaches often celebrate life achievements and milestones such as degrees or promotions at work, for many of our athletes, Special Olympics is their entire life. For many of our athletes (although not all) their reality isn’t celebrate things like buying their first home or planning a wedding.
For many of our athletes attending a Games, be in Regionals, Provincials, National, or, for a very small number, Worlds, is an experience they look forward too, and is often a major highlight in their lives. It is a chance for our athletes to have their moment in the spotlight, and to do something they truly enjoy. From that moment forward I felt the importance and the weight of telling our athletes stories, and of celebrating and sharing their successes, be that medals or personal bests.
This past week it has truly been the honour of a lifetime to be here with our snow sports, sharing the incredible stories of our Team Canada athletes. Our athletes have trained for years for this moment, and it has been an absolutely pleasure to celebrate our athletes as the true rock stars that they are.
As a parent myself, a highlight of these Games for me has been seeing how supportive our Special Olympics Team Canada families have been! All too often I hear stories from the families of our athletes who were told when their child was born that they wouldn’t amount to much in life. Seeing our athletes prove that notion wrong fills my heart. This past week I have loved seeing the personalized shirts, the banners and signs, and the families outside in the snow and cold cheering for hours. Seeing the anticipation on their faces when it’s their athletes heat or race has been heart warming, and I am filled with joy seeing the hugs and tears at the finish lines. Through this role, for the families and friends back home, I have done my absolutely best to capture each moment, so that everyone can feel like they are a part of Special Olympics Team Canada, and are here in Italy with us, not missing a moment of the action.