Special Olympics bowler on a roll

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This article was published 18/02/2020 (2164 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Christine Hoffman’s life was in flux, one constant the young bowler could count on was the clatter of pins on hardwood and the mechanical whir of machinery setting it right again.

These days, the 28-year-old from Winnipeg spends a good portion of her spare time in the dimly lit hall of the North End’s Billy Mosienko Lanes, training with her teammates for national games at the end of the month.

Hoffman is a member of the Special Olympics Manitoba provincial five-pin bowling team that will head to the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Thunder Bay, Ont., next week.

“The Christine that I met six years ago and the Christine I know now, are two different Christines,” said head coach Melissa Perron. “Her heart is still the same, but her confidence has completely changed.”

Perron was introduced to Hoffman through bowling, when the former Quebecer decided to volunteer with Special Olympics Manitoba seven years ago. Perron, 34, co-ordinated a recreational league for the organization and the two became fast friends outside the alley.

It was away from the black lights, neon laces and scorecards where Perron got a glimpse of the personal challenges Hoffman checked at the door when she came to play.

Hoffman lives with Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited intellectual disability, which can exhibit in delayed speech and symptoms of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Right around the time she joined the provincial squad three years ago, she had also moved out of her childhood home and into the care of foster mom Francine Funk.

The move was a huge change for Hoffman and came with another test of will: the young athlete had to add a rigorous training and exercise routine to her schedule to represent Manitoba at the games. In the process, Hoffman has lost more than 100 pounds, down from the 370 pounds two years earlier. She has adopted a number of lifestyle changes to help her reach her athletic goals.

“She’s grown and her presence is like sunshine, it just radiates confidence,” said Perron, who now serves on the board of directors of Special Olympics Manitoba. “I don’t know what brought the confidence on but it’s a circle that’s not stopping.”

Funk and Hoffman met through the group’s track-and-field program six years ago when Funk was providing respite services for another Special Olympics athlete.

Over the years, the pair developed a relationship, and when Hoffman’s mother asked Funk if she could help care for her daughter, she agreed.

At first, Hoffman was shy and untrusting, Funk said, and was sheltered in a lot of ways. As soon as she got involved in Special Olympics, however, she developed friendships and got out of the house regularly; the weight also started to come off.

“For her, I think she’s loving to be around people, she loves making new friends, it’s a learning thing for her. She’s seeing the world, that there’s more to the world, and she’s liking it.”

Hoffman has also taken on a leadership role with the provincial team, Perron said, and her dedication to the game inspires her teammates.

‘She’s grown and her presence is like sunshine, it just radiates confidence’– Christine Hoffman’s coach Melissa Perron

“All of the athletes are integral parts of the team, but she could be looked up to as a mentor because of the change she’s instilled in her life,” Perron said.

“She’s always willing to learn and grow and adjust her bowling to be as good of a bowler as she can be. She is overcoming all of these challenges like a champ.”

Hoffman said being a leader is a responsibility she has to her teammates and, despite the 700-kilometre trek from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay, she’s already gone the distance on her road to the games.

“I’m feeling pretty good and I’m a little nervous,” she said. “I just want to try my best and have fun.

“I like playing as a team, and all my friends are on the team,” Hoffman said. “At Special Olympics, it’s just being yourself and having fun.”

Hoffman will join 60 other athletes and 25 coaches and mission staff the province is sending to the games from Feb. 25 to 29. The organization is seeking sponsors to make the trip possible, said Darren Anderson, manager of the Special Olympics Manitoba Law Enforcement Torch Run event.

“With Special Olympics, you can instantly see the impact of what you’re doing if you’re supporting it financially, or giving your time,” he said. “These games are an awesome experience for the athletes. It’s just so incredible to see the achievements that they can make through their commitment to training.

“These folks are making lasting friendships, not just within their provincial team, but within the other provinces,” he said.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca