Two Special People Reinvigorate Special Olympics Golf Program

By Gord Montgomery, Senior Writer, Inside Golf

STONY PLAIN, Alberta — The reboot of a Special Olympics golf program in Alberta wasn’t necessarily a mulligan because something went wrong. It was a re-tee to get things back to where they were.

While it doesn’t necessarily take special people to help with Special Olympics’ coaching duties, it does take special individuals to bring such a sports program back to life after it was knocked out of bounds by the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking on that challenge were Jalesa LeBel and Andrew Chamczuk who decided early in 2024 to get the golf program running again at the Stony Plain Golf Course. So far, they’ve seen a good return on their investment of time and energy.

By the way, did we mention that Jalesa and Andrew are both Special Olympians themselves? Both have been honoured for their past participation in this organization with the former named as the Coach of the Year with Alberta Special Olympics in 2023 for her efforts in basketball and floor hockey. As for Andrew, he’s a multi-medal winner at provincial, national, and international levels in speed skating, floor hockey, and, of course, golf.

Jalesa noted she became involved with Special Olympics three years ago through PEI family friends, which continued after she moved to Alberta.

“I was going to be an athlete but then I kind of changed my plan of attack to coaching,” she explained about her initial involvement. “I started as a floor hockey coach, then I coached basketball. We didn’t have anything (in Spruce Grove/Stony Plain/Parkland County) running in the summer anymore (due to previous coaches stepping down from their duties), so I chose to get golf up and running because that’s one of my passions.”

Andrew Chamczuk (Photo By Gord Montgomery/Inside Golf)

As for Andrew, well, he’s a golf junkie through and through. He began golfing with the original Special Olympics program at the Stony Plain Golf Course about 10 years ago and his love for the game has never wavered.

“That was my first time hitting a golf ball,” he noted of that beginning. “It was something I had an interest in but never thought to try. When Special Olympics offered it, I thought it would be fun to try, and I’ve been in love with it ever since.”

Jalesa, on the other hand, is essentially a beginning golfer. While relatively new to golf, the young lady is an experienced negotiator. She took it upon herself, along with Andrew’s help, to approach the golf course’s executive professional Jeff Cuthbertson and head pro Robb James about bringing this particular program back to life on their driving range and the course itself for a weekly 9-hole round.

When approached by the two Special Olympians who outlined their goals, there was a bit of hesitation on the course’s part but for good reason. Things though soon got worked out, the Stony Plain pro noted. The biggest issue was a good time for the Olympians to take to the range and the course.

“We needed to find a time where the athletes out there (on the course) didn’t feel like they were being rushed or pushed. A time that works for them but also for us as a club. We didn’t want to make it uncomfortable for anybody,” Cuthbertson explained about working this program back onto their tee sheets.

Jalesa LaBel Along With Andrew Chamczuk Took It Upon Themselves To Bring The Special Olympics Golf Program At The Stony Plain Golf Course Back To Life & Did So Through Determination & Desire To Have Others Take Part In The Game. (Photo By Gord Montgomery/Inside Golf)

“At first, they said they weren’t quite sure,” said Jalesa in recollection of those early get-togethers. “They said, ‘You’re new into the program,’ but when I started coming here in my private time, spending more time here, they more or less warmed up to the idea. You know, ‘Okay. This maybe would be a good idea to start this up again.’”

To paraphrase, the rest is now becoming history in the world of inclusive sports.

For the lead proponent, the new setup was an ideal situation for her in two ways.

“Having special needs myself and just wanting a place to fit in, I never really did any organized sports or anything like that,” said Jalesa, although she is now a die-hard golfer. “Coaching and working with people, that’s my background because I have a background in education and teaching. Coaching is something I’ve always enjoyed. Coaching is just the right fit for me.”

Like good coaches, Jalesa and Andrew thought of others before themselves in reinvigorating the golf program. Asked why they’d undertake such a challenge, Jalesa noted, “A lot of it came down to athletes themselves were coming to me and going, ‘What are some of the sports we can start up in the summer?’ but it was also trying to find locations and we didn’t have the connections anymore.”

They do now though and through that and golf, things look bright for those involved in this program. Andrew is a testament to that.

When he began golfing, he was unaware of the social etiquette, both on and off the course, that goes along with the game. Now though, he’s a member of the Stony Plain course and is working on his game to take part in the club championship for the second time this summer.

Jalesa LaBel, Who Got The Special Olympics Program Back Up And Running, Takes Her Cuts, Along With Two Other Members Of The Group. (Photo By Gord Montgomery/Inside Golf)

The things he’s learned from the game are intriguing. “It’s taught me patience and self-control,” the 17-handicapper began. “It’s taught me life is not fair. In golf, you can hit a great shot and get an unlucky bounce. End up in a divot. It’s like life: you have to play it where it lies.”

In helping others in this group, Andrew was delighted in getting others started in the game. Whether they take it as seriously as he does or just to enjoy the game is totally up to them but they do now have an entryway into a game that is becoming more inclusive all the time.

Now that this program is up and running again, where does it go from here? According to the executive pro at Stony, it’s a case of onward and upward.

“I think it’s fantastic. I think it’s great that the athletes want to play golf and find ways to get involved in our game. For us to be able to support them, I think we’d be foolish not to want to be involved with that,” ended Cuthbertson.

“We have to keep building this up, see where it goes,” said Jalesa. Given the drive she has to see her athletes succeed, no matter the sport, she will certainly have the drive to see this program grow. The start-up has been slow but that’s not slowing this pair down.

“Honestly, it’s been fun because just seeing a couple of athletes we have going out and having fun, regardless of how they’re playing, they’re doing different things, having fun. They want to keep coming back every week.”

That is what organizers and volunteers in any program want to hear and see from the athletes they mentor.