This year’s Athlete of the Year Award winner is described by his Special Olympics St. Albert peers as an incredible athlete, team player and leader.
“The award means a lot to me,” said Dallas Sorken, who has one the award previously. “It means that I’m doing a good job, not only as an athlete but as a leader of the other parts of St. Albert Special Olympics that I’m involved in too.”
Sorken, 36, sits on Special Olympics Alberta’s athlete leadership committee as the north central rep and was instrumental in initiating and founding the same committee in Special Olympics St. Albert.
“What I’m most proud of is starting the ALC here in St. Albert,” he said. “I wanted the athletes here to have a voice. If there was something that was going on that shouldn’t be going on at a practice of some sport then if the athletes don’t feel confident going to a coach then they have the option of going to an athlete too and telling them.”
Sorken is one of about nine individuals on the committee.
“We have one volunteer that sits on it and takes minutes and occasionally we have a couple of board members that come to the meeting.”
The Special Olympics Alberta committee is also athlete run and staff supported.
“There are representatives from about 10 different communities. We talk about how we can improve Special Olympics in Alberta and if there are any things that we can change to make Special Olympics Alberta better for athletes in Alberta and things we can work out like for provincials or sports,” said the third-year committee member.
“It’s a blast. We talk on a conference call about once every couple of months and once a year we have a conference in Edmonton where we all get together.”
Sorken is also an active curler, softball player and floor hockey defenceman.
At the 2002 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Prince Albert, he competed in track and field in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, long jump, shot put and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays and was medallist.
“I won one of each colour.”
His latest medal was bronze in floor hockey with the St. Albert Warriors in the Howe/Lemieux division at the Special Olympics Alberta Winter Games in February at Grande Prairie.
Sorken is also a track and field coach for Special Olympics St. Albert.
“If they’re having a problem with their starting position, like their starting stance, then I help them with that, or if they’re having trouble getting their right position for shot put I help them with that.”
Sorken spent nine years with Special Olympics Edmonton before joining the St. Albert branch.
“I like it here. It’s like a second family. It’s very tight and everybody pretty much knows each other and everybody wants to help each other,” said the fulltime Sobeys employee in St. Albert.
Visit www.specialolympics.ab.ca/st-albert for information on the Special Olympics St. Albert program.
