Did you know bowling is an Olympic sport?
In this exciting episode, Constable John Burke joins us to share inspiring stories from the Special Olympics, giving us a peek into a world where determination and joy shine through. As we gear up for the Ontario Special Olympic Spring Games, we talk with Constable Burke about the incredible journey these athletes undertake, the different sports included in the Special Olympics, and the Waterloo Regional Police's involvement in this fantastic cause.
Special Olympics Spring Games
Hosted in Waterloo region
May 23-26, 2024
We also ask about what it's like to be a police officer. Constable Burke takes us behind the scenes of what it takes to become a police officer, discussing the rigorous journey of joining law enforcement and the critical role officers play in the community.
Get ready for an engaging conversation that highlights the inclusivity and joy that the Special Olympics bring to athletes, their families, and the community.
Resources
Special Olympics Website
Waterloo Regional Police Services
Waterloo Region Record Special Olympics Feature
What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!
Thanks for tuning in to Curious Conversations! We hope you enjoyed listening as much as we enjoyed creating it for you. Don't forget to stay connected with us on our website and Instagram for more exciting content. Also, make sure to hit that follow/subscribe button and leave us a rating to help us grow and reach more people like you.
Enjoy another curious conversation for teens by teens!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
John (00:00):
Some of the athletes.
They have the ability tocompete just like anybody that
doesn't have an intellectualdisability.
Their level of competition,their dedication to their sport,
what it means to them, issomething to really embrace and
I think everybody can learn frompeople that really have a drive
(00:23):
to succeed, and no matter whatthey're trying to, no matter
what is against them, but alsohow much community support there
is behind Special Olympians.
Xavier (00:33):
Hi, welcome to Curious Conversations, a podcast for
kids, by kids.
I'm one of your hosts, xavier.
Emma (00:41):
And I'm your other host, emma, and we're so excited to
bring you another season ofinteresting discussions with
people from all walks of life,to learn about their passions
and what inspires them.
Xavier (00:50):
We are still as curious as ever and we hope you will
join us on our journey.
Emma (00:55):
On today's episode we welcome Constable John Burke of
the Waterloo Regional PoliceServices and the manager of the
Ontario Special Olympic SpringGames, which starts next week in
the Waterloo Region.
Constable Burke tells useverything about the Games, the
athletes, the events, where towatch and the impact it has on
the community.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
So welcome, john.
It's very nice to meet you.
John (01:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
And thank you so much for being on the podcast.
John (01:22):
No problem, of course.
Emma (01:24):
So recently we discovered the Waterloo Region was hosting
the Ontario Special OlympicGames and we were curious about
the games and what it means tobe a Special Olympian.
So can you start by telling usa little bit about the Special
Olympics?
John (01:39):
Yeah, so the Special Olympics they start off as local
games.
So people with intellectualdisabilities can start by
competing locally, you know,within their communities, and
whether that's individual sportor team sports.
And then once they, you know,they're recognized by their
(02:01):
coaches, their community and theorganization where they live,
they can apply to compete in theprovincial games.
And so what the provincialgames are is that they run every
four years.
There's three different seasons, so there's the winter, spring
and summer games, and then thosebecome qualifiers for the
(02:23):
national special olympics andthen, uh, which is also a
qualifier for the internationalspecial olympics so for the
qualifying, like um, like in thesummer olympics and the winter
olympics, you have to qualify.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Like you said, you have to go through a lot of
different stages, uh like howyou actually qualify for the
international games.
John (02:49):
The athletes that are competing in the provincial
games coming in May here inWaterloo Region.
They'll get a chance to competenationally, which will happen
next year, which will happennext year, and then, once if
they qualify nationally, thenthey'll get a chance to compete
(03:10):
internationally.
So, depending on what the sportis.
So for the spring games we havefive different events and, like
I said, some of them areindividuals, some of them are
sport or sorry teams, and itjust depends on the peers that
they're competing against.
Because the difference betweenSpecial Olympics and the
mainstream Olympics is that thecompetitions are based on
(03:36):
athletes being able to competewith other athletes that are at
their ability level.
So it gives everybody more ofan even playing field.
It gives everybody theopportunity to qualify for the
international games.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
If I win first in like the games right now, would
I have the highest chance ofgoing on the international games
.
John (03:59):
That's right, exactly yeah.
Emma (04:01):
So what actually?
How do you become and whatmakes a special olympian?
John (04:06):
yeah, so special olympians are, like I was saying
, somebody with an intellectualdisability and somebody that's
interested in sports andcompetition.
You know, one example might besay, if, uh, a resident of
waterloo region in cambridge waspart of the Kitchener Waterloo
Special Olympics organization,which exists, and maybe they're
(04:31):
competing in basketball on ateam or individually in
powerlifting, as an example,they would do their local
competitions, go to weekendcompetitions, tournaments, what,
what have you in years leadingup to the provincial games, and
then, depending on how thoseevents work out and how they
(04:52):
place in those events, wouldgive them an opportunity to
qualify to go to the provincialgames which which are happening
here by coincidence, right?
So, um, really, for anybodythat's local, it's it's really
good for them because they don'thave to travel far and uh,
everything kind of it's.
It's it helps them out becauseeverything's being supported for
(05:13):
them in this area.
Other than that, there's awebsite, wwwprovincialgamescom,
where you can register as anathlete or as a coach, and
that's pretty much it.
Is there an age requirement?
Yeah, so you can be.
Um, the other thing about thisis that in the special olympics,
there are athletes that areunder 18 years old and then
(05:35):
there's athletes that are adults, uh, so over 18.
So there's some uh, I don'tknow what the minimum would be,
but, um, I believe it'ssomewhere around 15 to 16 years
old, so swimming would be anexample of that.
Some of the best swimmers arein their teenage years and
(05:57):
they're competing in these gamesalongside people that are 18 to
25 years old.
Emma (06:02):
How did the Waterloo Police get involved in the
special olympics and how did youspecifically get involved?
John (06:09):
yeah, so the waterloo regional police were set to host
the games the provincial gamesback in 2020.
They were cancelled due tocovid, and so law enforcement
have been a strong advocate anda partner in special o since, I
believe, the early 90s.
So that means North Americawide.
(06:29):
So whatever city or region thatthe provincial games or in the
United States, if the regionalsor state games are happening and
the nationals, internationals,law enforcement's always been a
supporter and really just helpedhost everything and get
everything together.
So it was our turn to host andhelp out with this Games back in
(06:52):
2020.
We continued on in 2024, andthat's how it got started.
Emma (06:59):
And how did you specifically get involved?
John (07:02):
Here at the Waterloo Regional Police police service,
every time that there's a jobavailable or a new position
available as long as you'requalified uh, you know, through
education, training oravailability, you can apply for
it.
There was a posting for thegames manager for the special
olympics.
I initially didn't applybecause I was posted to another
(07:23):
area that I was involved in, andso I was called or I was
assigned by someone from thechief's office to step in.
So I gladly accepted the offerand it's been a learning curve
the whole time, but I'm reallygrateful for the opportunity to
(07:44):
be involved.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
So you named some of the sports the whole time.
But I'm really grateful for theopportunity to be involved.
So you named some of the sports.
John (07:51):
What are all the events that are in the Special Olympics
?
Yeah, so it's the spring gamesfor our region coming up in May.
So the five events arebasketball, swimming, rhythmic
gymnastics, 10-pin bowling andpowerlifting.
So swimming is happening twoplaces.
It's going to happen at WilfridLaurier University, but it's
(08:12):
also going to happen at theWilmot Recreation Centre, which
is in between New Hamburg andBaden.
Basketball is going to happenat Wilfrid Laurier University
Gym as well as St David CatholicSecondary High School in
Waterloo, and so RhythmicGymnastics is happening at St
Benedict Catholic Secondary HighSchool in Cambridge.
(08:32):
Powerlifting is happening atResurrection Catholic Secondary
School in Waterloo.
And the last event was the10-pin bowling which is
happening at AMF Lanes atFrederick Street.
Bowling in Kitchener.
Emma (08:49):
Is anyone like can you just go up and watch?
Like, say, you attended one ofthe schools that is hosting,
would you be able to just go andwatch?
John (08:57):
Yep, anybody can go and watch anytime they like.
There's more than enough roomand interest for people to go.
If you wanted to come out andwatch one of the events or any
of the events um.
Emma (09:08):
What are some of the biggest challenges you have
faced in organizing events orfundraisers for the special
Olympics?
John (09:16):
since all everything is happening at community or public
places.
So the universities own and runby the province, the Catholic
secondary schools are owned andrun by the region, and then the
rec center in Walmont's owned bythe township.
Out there it's really bookingthe times that are not going to
impact other community events.
(09:37):
So some of those places rely onrevenue coming in.
So it means other people fromthe community are going to rent
it out and pay money so thatthey can stay open.
But then also the schools theCatholic schools and the
university have students andfaculty that use the space all
the time.
So really it was lining up allof the scheduled events, all of
(10:00):
the games, and getting a permitfor everything to make it all
line up.
And then the second thing isbringing in people to help run
it.
So we're looking at, betweenthe coaches and athletes, over a
thousand people there, and thenthe family and spectators,
another thousand or plus atleast.
So you know, bringing inorganizing all the volunteers,
(10:21):
all the people that are going torun the events, people that are
going to run the events, peoplethat are going to coordinate
transportation and parking andall that kind of stuff.
So it's just a lot of movingparts and then getting people to
be on board, because a lot ofthe time they have to use their
own time, away from their familyand their job.
So finding time on their ownthat they're not getting paid
(10:46):
for to help out is anotherchallenge, right.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
Could you share any heartwarming or impactful
experiences you've had whileworking with the Special Olympic
athletes?
John (10:57):
Yeah, absolutely so.
The athletes, really.
When you look at the wholebenefit of Special Olympics and
what the athletes get out of it,as well as their family, is
that it's an inclusivity thingwhere they may not be able to
compete in events whereable-bodied people can, or
(11:18):
people without disabilities orpeople without disabilities, and
so a lot of times that leavesthem isolated or basically
living a lifestyle where theydon't get to participate in a
lot of things that they enjoy.
And so when you get to see theathletes happy and being
involved and having a purpose ofwhat they want and what they've
(11:41):
been looking forward to, it'sreally like the purest form of
joy where there's nothing else,there's no other reason for
anybody to be there except tosupport the athletes in wanting
to be there.
So it's being a part offundraising basketball teams,
basketball games andcompetitions, basketball games
(12:06):
and competitions Um, I got to goand um be part of and watch
some uh special athletes competeat um, a local high school for
for some events, and see all theteachers that get involved and
all the other students uhwithout disability to get
involved and support it.
So it's just a really bigcommunity event, uh, to see
everybody come together.
Emma (12:25):
Well, how do you see the special Olympics benefiting the
community around it?
John (12:30):
So it's going to bring a lot of community awareness to
the special um, special Olympicathletes, where they're all just
the people in the community aregoing to um, where people in
the community are going to bemade aware of how competitive
and how good this is for peoplewith disabilities intellectual
(12:52):
disabilities.
But it also brings the abilityfor different members of the
community from different partsof the community to be able to
work together for a competitionfor this big organization where
we can put our differences aside, put our different basically
our jobs and everything elseaside and work together for a
(13:14):
common goal.
But the long-term is that weget to play a part in giving our
athletes an ability to competenationally and internationally
and bring awareness to otherathletes that are coming up,
that may be younger, to want tocontinue to participate.
Emma (13:32):
For the rest of the, you know, for as long as we can keep
it going what's one thing youwould tell people that you don't
think they'd necessarily knowor guess about the Special
Olympics.
John (13:47):
That some of the athletes .
They have the ability tocompete just like anybody that
doesn't have an intellectualdisability.
Their level of competition,their dedication to their sport
and what it means to them issomething to really embrace and
I think everybody can learn frompeople that really have a drive
(14:11):
to succeed and no matter whatthey're trying to, no matter
what is against them, but alsohow much community support there
is behind Special Olympians.
For that reason it brings in.
Brings in good mental health,brings in good physical health
and community awareness foreverybody to work together so do
you have a favorite um sport inthe in the special olympics?
(14:35):
I do like basketball and powerlifting.
I haven't seen rhythmicgymnastics in play yet in uh,
you know, in real life.
So it's um, I'm interested tosee what that looks like, but
I'd say right now the most I'veseen is basketball and uh, and
that's definitely a favorite formine how do you choose the
(14:56):
sports that this special likeathletes compete in?
Emma (15:00):
is it interest?
Or are they pre-chosen becausethey just seem more unique and I
haven't like, for example,bowling.
I don't think it's in theolympics, right right.
John (15:10):
It comes back to what people with the intellectual
disabilities um can compete inand what's available to them in
their, in their local community,right?
So a lot of how this gotstarted was that back in the 60s
, 1960s, is that a doctorrealized that people with
(15:31):
intellectual disabilities didn'thave the same opportunities as
other people to becomephysically active and have the
same opportunity to engage with,you know, their peers or people
from school or anything likethat, based on their disability,
right, and so maybe it was justokay, there's a bowling alley,
(15:54):
we have the time available,let's get everybody together and
bowl, and then that became astaple in the Special Olympics,
which has continued on.
Basketball is another one.
You know, it's relatively easyto book a facility, it's a
popular sport, it's a team sportand it's fairly inexpensive to
play.
So all these things, justgetting people together to work
(16:16):
on it, and then it grows fromthere.
Swimming is another one.
Swimming is a great, greatsport for your endurance and
cardio and everything else, andit's another community sport.
Emma (16:30):
It all sounds like lots of fun.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
But can we ask you a little bit more about, like,
your job of being a policeofficer?
Sure, so how do you become apolice?
John (16:43):
officer.
Yeah, so there's a process.
Right now the way it works isthat you have to first have your
high school, your grade 12equivalency or grade 12.
You have to have four years ofpost-secondary education, which
means college and university.
Then you are eligible toreceive your Ontario Association
(17:04):
of Chiefs of Police certificate, which is basically a
certificate showing that youhave all of the required
education and you can pass somebasic testing.
And then you fill out anapplication online with the
Waterloo Regional Police Serviceor whatever police service you
want to apply to, and then, ifyou get through that, you get to
(17:25):
do two interviews.
So one's a 90 minute interviewfor a local focus, basically
just on basic policing stuff.
The second is a essentialcompetencies interview, if you
get past the first one, which isabout a three-hour interview.
If you get past that, then youget to do an in-person physical
fitness run just to see if youcan have the basic physical
(17:48):
fitness capabilities.
If you get through that, youget to do a psychological test,
which I think is another threehours plus interview, just to
make sure that you can withstandthe kind of demands that are
put on you as a police officerthe things you may have to see
or deal with.
If you get through that, thenyou go on to a background
(18:09):
investigation so they usuallyhave a retired police officer
who will do a full investigationon everything to do with your
life.
So everybody you know,everywhere you've worked,
everywhere you've lived, they'lltalk to everybody that's in
your life.
Make sure that everything youput on your application is true
and make sure that you're theright candidate for working as a
(18:30):
police officer.
It's pretty important whenyou're trusted with a lot of
things that people come to youfor help with, to make sure that
you're not going to be someonethat you know maybe doesn't have
the best interest in mind.
(18:53):
Once you get through that, theymay offer you a job and that job
comes with a condition that youhave to pass a medical exam.
So you have to be able to passyour eyesight, your hearing and
make sure that you're goodphysical health.
Otherwise like no sicknesses oranything like that.
And then you do four weeks ofpre-Ontario Police College
training here at the policeservice.
So that's just learning some ofthe basic laws, some physical
(19:15):
stuff, training and use of forcethings and so on.
Then you go to the OntarioPolice College in Elmer, which
is outside of London, ontario,for 12 weeks or three months.
You have a number of exams topass there physical, practical
exams, written exams and thenyou come back for another four
(19:36):
weeks of post-Ontario PoliceCollege training here at the
police service and then you'rewith your coach officer for 60
12-hour shifts and if you getthrough all of that, you get to
be on probation for 14 months tomake sure you can do the job on
your own as a police constable,wearing uniform, driving a
police car, taking calls forservice.
(19:58):
And then you've got the job,then you're a police officer.
Speaker 4 (20:01):
Wow, so how much would you think?
In total, how many hours ordays would that be?
John (20:08):
Yeah, you're looking at altogether probably better part
of a year from start to finish.
Say, if you were to apply todayand everything went really
smoothly, where you goteverything through, you may be
in a police car with your coachtowards the end of your training
this time next year.
Emma (20:29):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
That's crazy.
Emma (20:32):
Why did you want to become a police officer?
John (20:36):
So I have a.
I have a strong passion forreally standing up for people
that can't stand up forthemselves, or helping people
that need help in the community.
I'm a strong believer thatpeople deserve to be able to
live their life freely andsafely, and you, as example,
(20:57):
should be able to walk down thestreet to school or to your
friend's house and do whateveryou want without having to worry
about somebody you knowbothering you or hurting you or
anything like that, and so Isigned up to protect people and
to help people out.
You know it's also.
It's fun, I enjoy myself, it'sexciting at times, and that's
why I signed up.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
So when you become a police officer and after you
finish all of that stuff, do youpick where you want to go?
John (21:24):
No.
So I applied to the WaterlooRegional Police Service so I
knew I was going to worksomewhere in Waterloo Region.
So we have three what we callurban divisions here.
When you come out and you'reassigned to one of the three so
it'd be North Division, which isWaterloo, central Division,
which is Kitchener, and SouthDivision, which is Cambridge you
(21:47):
get placed in one of thoseplaces.
You don't get to pick, really.
Maybe now they might ask youwhere you want to work, but it's
based on needs for people,right.
It's based on needs for forpeople, right.
So if cambridge or southdivision needs three new
officers because a couple peoplehave retired or moved on, then
that's where they'll put you.
Once you're past your you know,basically four or five years on
(22:10):
the job as a patrol officerinto what we call a first class
constable, you can startapplying for job openings.
That would maybe be like adetective or something like that
.
Emma (22:24):
So as I'm going to school, we've gone to the village in
Cambridge.
Do you know?
Kind of like the backgroundbehind that.
John (22:31):
Yeah, so the safety village was started, like many
other police services have them,and what it is is to bring kids
in to show some of theimportance of safety, but also
build a relationship with thepolice.
So I think it's important torealize that police are here to
(22:51):
help people and us, um, and thatkids of all people should be
able to come to us if they needhelp and realize we're people
too, we're fathers, we'remothers, we're, you know, uncles
and aunts and stuff like that,right?
So just the just building thatrelationship and giving
something fun, because, let's behonest, it's not pretty, it's
(23:11):
not very fun for a kid to comeand sit in a classroom somewhere
, but if they have something todo, you know, like going in
little stores or anything likethat, it's adds a little bit
more to the experience, right?
Speaker 4 (23:25):
It was.
It was really fun at thevillage.
John (23:28):
Good.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
So, before we go, can you let our listeners know
where the special Olympics areand where we can get more
information about them?
John (23:39):
Sure, so the special Olympics are happening
throughout Waterloo region.
Like I said, they happen inWal-Mart Township, waterloo,
kitchener and Cambridge.
So everything's posted online.
If anybody wants to visitwwwprovincialgamescom,
everything's there.
Um for the locations,information about volunteering,
(24:02):
information about you know.
Emma (24:03):
Draft an athlete program which gives people the
opportunity to donate orfundraise, uh, for the special
olympics so thank you so muchfor taking the time to talk to
us about the special olympics,and we're so happy to have you
on the show and we learned somuch today.
So thank you so much.
John (24:22):
You're very welcome.
Thank you for having me.
Emma (24:25):
Thank you for listening and I know all the shows.
You probably listened to saythis, but if you enjoyed this
episode, please follow and ratethe podcast.
Xavier (24:33):
Also, we would love to connect with you and hear your
thoughts about our episodes.
You can find us on Instagram orvisit our website.
The links are in the show notes.
Thanks for tuning in.
Bye.
Some of the athletes.
They have the ability tocompete just like anybody that
doesn't have an intellectualdisability.
Their level of competition,their dedication to their sport,
what it means to them, issomething to really embrace and
I think everybody can learn frompeople that really have a drive
(00:23):
to succeed, and no matter whatthey're trying to, no matter
what is against them, but alsohow much community support there
is behind Special Olympians.
Xavier (00:33):
Hi, welcome to Curious Conversations, a podcast for
kids, by kids.
I'm one of your hosts, xavier.
Emma (00:41):
And I'm your other host, emma, and we're so excited to
bring you another season ofinteresting discussions with
people from all walks of life,to learn about their passions
and what inspires them.
Xavier (00:50):
We are still as curious as ever and we hope you will
join us on our journey.
Emma (00:55):
On today's episode we welcome Constable John Burke of
the Waterloo Regional PoliceServices and the manager of the
Ontario Special Olympic SpringGames, which starts next week in
the Waterloo Region.
Constable Burke tells useverything about the Games, the
athletes, the events, where towatch and the impact it has on
the community.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
So welcome, john.
It's very nice to meet you.
John (01:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
And thank you so much for being on the podcast.
John (01:22):
No problem, of course.
Emma (01:24):
So recently we discovered the Waterloo Region was hosting
the Ontario Special OlympicGames and we were curious about
the games and what it means tobe a Special Olympian.
So can you start by telling usa little bit about the Special
Olympics?
John (01:39):
Yeah, so the Special Olympics they start off as local
games.
So people with intellectualdisabilities can start by
competing locally, you know,within their communities, and
whether that's individual sportor team sports.
And then once they, you know,they're recognized by their
(02:01):
coaches, their community and theorganization where they live,
they can apply to compete in theprovincial games.
And so what the provincialgames are is that they run every
four years.
There's three different seasons, so there's the winter, spring
and summer games, and then thosebecome qualifiers for the
(02:23):
national special olympics andthen, uh, which is also a
qualifier for the internationalspecial olympics so for the
qualifying, like um, like in thesummer olympics and the winter
olympics, you have to qualify.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Like you said, you have to go through a lot of
different stages, uh like howyou actually qualify for the
international games.
John (02:49):
The athletes that are competing in the provincial
games coming in May here inWaterloo Region.
They'll get a chance to competenationally, which will happen
next year, which will happennext year, and then, once if
they qualify nationally, thenthey'll get a chance to compete
(03:10):
internationally.
So, depending on what the sportis.
So for the spring games we havefive different events and, like
I said, some of them areindividuals, some of them are
sport or sorry teams, and itjust depends on the peers that
they're competing against.
Because the difference betweenSpecial Olympics and the
mainstream Olympics is that thecompetitions are based on
(03:36):
athletes being able to competewith other athletes that are at
their ability level.
So it gives everybody more ofan even playing field.
It gives everybody theopportunity to qualify for the
international games.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
If I win first in like the games right now, would
I have the highest chance ofgoing on the international games
.
John (03:59):
That's right, exactly yeah.
Emma (04:01):
So what actually?
How do you become and whatmakes a special olympian?
John (04:06):
yeah, so special olympians are, like I was saying
, somebody with an intellectualdisability and somebody that's
interested in sports andcompetition.
You know, one example might besay, if, uh, a resident of
waterloo region in cambridge waspart of the Kitchener Waterloo
Special Olympics organization,which exists, and maybe they're
(04:31):
competing in basketball on ateam or individually in
powerlifting, as an example,they would do their local
competitions, go to weekendcompetitions, tournaments, what,
what have you in years leadingup to the provincial games, and
then, depending on how thoseevents work out and how they
(04:52):
place in those events, wouldgive them an opportunity to
qualify to go to the provincialgames which which are happening
here by coincidence, right?
So, um, really, for anybodythat's local, it's it's really
good for them because they don'thave to travel far and uh,
everything kind of it's.
It's it helps them out becauseeverything's being supported for
(05:13):
them in this area.
Other than that, there's awebsite, wwwprovincialgamescom,
where you can register as anathlete or as a coach, and
that's pretty much it.
Is there an age requirement?
Yeah, so you can be.
Um, the other thing about thisis that in the special olympics,
there are athletes that areunder 18 years old and then
(05:35):
there's athletes that are adults, uh, so over 18.
So there's some uh, I don'tknow what the minimum would be,
but, um, I believe it'ssomewhere around 15 to 16 years
old, so swimming would be anexample of that.
Some of the best swimmers arein their teenage years and
(05:57):
they're competing in these gamesalongside people that are 18 to
25 years old.
Emma (06:02):
How did the Waterloo Police get involved in the
special olympics and how did youspecifically get involved?
John (06:09):
yeah, so the waterloo regional police were set to host
the games the provincial gamesback in 2020.
They were cancelled due tocovid, and so law enforcement
have been a strong advocate anda partner in special o since, I
believe, the early 90s.
So that means North Americawide.
(06:29):
So whatever city or region thatthe provincial games or in the
United States, if the regionalsor state games are happening and
the nationals, internationals,law enforcement's always been a
supporter and really just helpedhost everything and get
everything together.
So it was our turn to host andhelp out with this Games back in
(06:52):
2020.
We continued on in 2024, andthat's how it got started.
Emma (06:59):
And how did you specifically get involved?
John (07:02):
Here at the Waterloo Regional Police police service,
every time that there's a jobavailable or a new position
available as long as you'requalified uh, you know, through
education, training oravailability, you can apply for
it.
There was a posting for thegames manager for the special
olympics.
I initially didn't applybecause I was posted to another
(07:23):
area that I was involved in, andso I was called or I was
assigned by someone from thechief's office to step in.
So I gladly accepted the offerand it's been a learning curve
the whole time, but I'm reallygrateful for the opportunity to
(07:44):
be involved.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
So you named some of the sports the whole time.
But I'm really grateful for theopportunity to be involved.
So you named some of the sports.
John (07:51):
What are all the events that are in the Special Olympics
?
Yeah, so it's the spring gamesfor our region coming up in May.
So the five events arebasketball, swimming, rhythmic
gymnastics, 10-pin bowling andpowerlifting.
So swimming is happening twoplaces.
It's going to happen at WilfridLaurier University, but it's
(08:12):
also going to happen at theWilmot Recreation Centre, which
is in between New Hamburg andBaden.
Basketball is going to happenat Wilfrid Laurier University
Gym as well as St David CatholicSecondary High School in
Waterloo, and so RhythmicGymnastics is happening at St
Benedict Catholic Secondary HighSchool in Cambridge.
(08:32):
Powerlifting is happening atResurrection Catholic Secondary
School in Waterloo.
And the last event was the10-pin bowling which is
happening at AMF Lanes atFrederick Street.
Bowling in Kitchener.
Emma (08:49):
Is anyone like can you just go up and watch?
Like, say, you attended one ofthe schools that is hosting,
would you be able to just go andwatch?
John (08:57):
Yep, anybody can go and watch anytime they like.
There's more than enough roomand interest for people to go.
If you wanted to come out andwatch one of the events or any
of the events um.
Emma (09:08):
What are some of the biggest challenges you have
faced in organizing events orfundraisers for the special
Olympics?
John (09:16):
since all everything is happening at community or public
places.
So the universities own and runby the province, the Catholic
secondary schools are owned andrun by the region, and then the
rec center in Walmont's owned bythe township.
Out there it's really bookingthe times that are not going to
impact other community events.
(09:37):
So some of those places rely onrevenue coming in.
So it means other people fromthe community are going to rent
it out and pay money so thatthey can stay open.
But then also the schools theCatholic schools and the
university have students andfaculty that use the space all
the time.
So really it was lining up allof the scheduled events, all of
(10:00):
the games, and getting a permitfor everything to make it all
line up.
And then the second thing isbringing in people to help run
it.
So we're looking at, betweenthe coaches and athletes, over a
thousand people there, and thenthe family and spectators,
another thousand or plus atleast.
So you know, bringing inorganizing all the volunteers,
(10:21):
all the people that are going torun the events, people that are
going to run the events, peoplethat are going to coordinate
transportation and parking andall that kind of stuff.
So it's just a lot of movingparts and then getting people to
be on board, because a lot ofthe time they have to use their
own time, away from their familyand their job.
So finding time on their ownthat they're not getting paid
(10:46):
for to help out is anotherchallenge, right.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
Could you share any heartwarming or impactful
experiences you've had whileworking with the Special Olympic
athletes?
John (10:57):
Yeah, absolutely so.
The athletes, really.
When you look at the wholebenefit of Special Olympics and
what the athletes get out of it,as well as their family, is
that it's an inclusivity thingwhere they may not be able to
compete in events whereable-bodied people can, or
(11:18):
people without disabilities orpeople without disabilities, and
so a lot of times that leavesthem isolated or basically
living a lifestyle where theydon't get to participate in a
lot of things that they enjoy.
And so when you get to see theathletes happy and being
involved and having a purpose ofwhat they want and what they've
(11:41):
been looking forward to, it'sreally like the purest form of
joy where there's nothing else,there's no other reason for
anybody to be there except tosupport the athletes in wanting
to be there.
So it's being a part offundraising basketball teams,
basketball games andcompetitions, basketball games
(12:06):
and competitions Um, I got to goand um be part of and watch
some uh special athletes competeat um, a local high school for
for some events, and see all theteachers that get involved and
all the other students uhwithout disability to get
involved and support it.
So it's just a really bigcommunity event, uh, to see
everybody come together.
Emma (12:25):
Well, how do you see the special Olympics benefiting the
community around it?
John (12:30):
So it's going to bring a lot of community awareness to
the special um, special Olympicathletes, where they're all just
the people in the community aregoing to um, where people in
the community are going to bemade aware of how competitive
and how good this is for peoplewith disabilities intellectual
(12:52):
disabilities.
But it also brings the abilityfor different members of the
community from different partsof the community to be able to
work together for a competitionfor this big organization where
we can put our differences aside, put our different basically
our jobs and everything elseaside and work together for a
(13:14):
common goal.
But the long-term is that weget to play a part in giving our
athletes an ability to competenationally and internationally
and bring awareness to otherathletes that are coming up,
that may be younger, to want tocontinue to participate.
Emma (13:32):
For the rest of the, you know, for as long as we can keep
it going what's one thing youwould tell people that you don't
think they'd necessarily knowor guess about the Special
Olympics.
John (13:47):
That some of the athletes .
They have the ability tocompete just like anybody that
doesn't have an intellectualdisability.
Their level of competition,their dedication to their sport
and what it means to them issomething to really embrace and
I think everybody can learn frompeople that really have a drive
(14:11):
to succeed and no matter whatthey're trying to, no matter
what is against them, but alsohow much community support there
is behind Special Olympians.
For that reason it brings in.
Brings in good mental health,brings in good physical health
and community awareness foreverybody to work together so do
you have a favorite um sport inthe in the special olympics?
(14:35):
I do like basketball and powerlifting.
I haven't seen rhythmicgymnastics in play yet in uh,
you know, in real life.
So it's um, I'm interested tosee what that looks like, but
I'd say right now the most I'veseen is basketball and uh, and
that's definitely a favorite formine how do you choose the
(14:56):
sports that this special likeathletes compete in?
Emma (15:00):
is it interest?
Or are they pre-chosen becausethey just seem more unique and I
haven't like, for example,bowling.
I don't think it's in theolympics, right right.
John (15:10):
It comes back to what people with the intellectual
disabilities um can compete inand what's available to them in
their, in their local community,right?
So a lot of how this gotstarted was that back in the 60s
, 1960s, is that a doctorrealized that people with
(15:31):
intellectual disabilities didn'thave the same opportunities as
other people to becomephysically active and have the
same opportunity to engage with,you know, their peers or people
from school or anything likethat, based on their disability,
right, and so maybe it was justokay, there's a bowling alley,
(15:54):
we have the time available,let's get everybody together and
bowl, and then that became astaple in the Special Olympics,
which has continued on.
Basketball is another one.
You know, it's relatively easyto book a facility, it's a
popular sport, it's a team sportand it's fairly inexpensive to
play.
So all these things, justgetting people together to work
(16:16):
on it, and then it grows fromthere.
Swimming is another one.
Swimming is a great, greatsport for your endurance and
cardio and everything else, andit's another community sport.
Emma (16:30):
It all sounds like lots of fun.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
But can we ask you a little bit more about, like,
your job of being a policeofficer?
Sure, so how do you become apolice?
John (16:43):
officer.
Yeah, so there's a process.
Right now the way it works isthat you have to first have your
high school, your grade 12equivalency or grade 12.
You have to have four years ofpost-secondary education, which
means college and university.
Then you are eligible toreceive your Ontario Association
(17:04):
of Chiefs of Police certificate, which is basically a
certificate showing that youhave all of the required
education and you can pass somebasic testing.
And then you fill out anapplication online with the
Waterloo Regional Police Serviceor whatever police service you
want to apply to, and then, ifyou get through that, you get to
(17:25):
do two interviews.
So one's a 90 minute interviewfor a local focus, basically
just on basic policing stuff.
The second is a essentialcompetencies interview, if you
get past the first one, which isabout a three-hour interview.
If you get past that, then youget to do an in-person physical
fitness run just to see if youcan have the basic physical
(17:48):
fitness capabilities.
If you get through that, youget to do a psychological test,
which I think is another threehours plus interview, just to
make sure that you can withstandthe kind of demands that are
put on you as a police officerthe things you may have to see
or deal with.
If you get through that, thenyou go on to a background
(18:09):
investigation so they usuallyhave a retired police officer
who will do a full investigationon everything to do with your
life.
So everybody you know,everywhere you've worked,
everywhere you've lived, they'lltalk to everybody that's in
your life.
Make sure that everything youput on your application is true
and make sure that you're theright candidate for working as a
(18:30):
police officer.
It's pretty important whenyou're trusted with a lot of
things that people come to youfor help with, to make sure that
you're not going to be someonethat you know maybe doesn't have
the best interest in mind.
(18:53):
Once you get through that, theymay offer you a job and that job
comes with a condition that youhave to pass a medical exam.
So you have to be able to passyour eyesight, your hearing and
make sure that you're goodphysical health.
Otherwise like no sicknesses oranything like that.
And then you do four weeks ofpre-Ontario Police College
training here at the policeservice.
So that's just learning some ofthe basic laws, some physical
(19:15):
stuff, training and use of forcethings and so on.
Then you go to the OntarioPolice College in Elmer, which
is outside of London, ontario,for 12 weeks or three months.
You have a number of exams topass there physical, practical
exams, written exams and thenyou come back for another four
(19:36):
weeks of post-Ontario PoliceCollege training here at the
police service and then you'rewith your coach officer for 60
12-hour shifts and if you getthrough all of that, you get to
be on probation for 14 months tomake sure you can do the job on
your own as a police constable,wearing uniform, driving a
police car, taking calls forservice.
(19:58):
And then you've got the job,then you're a police officer.
Speaker 4 (20:01):
Wow, so how much would you think?
In total, how many hours ordays would that be?
John (20:08):
Yeah, you're looking at altogether probably better part
of a year from start to finish.
Say, if you were to apply todayand everything went really
smoothly, where you goteverything through, you may be
in a police car with your coachtowards the end of your training
this time next year.
Emma (20:29):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
That's crazy.
Emma (20:32):
Why did you want to become a police officer?
John (20:36):
So I have a.
I have a strong passion forreally standing up for people
that can't stand up forthemselves, or helping people
that need help in the community.
I'm a strong believer thatpeople deserve to be able to
live their life freely andsafely, and you, as example,
(20:57):
should be able to walk down thestreet to school or to your
friend's house and do whateveryou want without having to worry
about somebody you knowbothering you or hurting you or
anything like that, and so Isigned up to protect people and
to help people out.
You know it's also.
It's fun, I enjoy myself, it'sexciting at times, and that's
why I signed up.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
So when you become a police officer and after you
finish all of that stuff, do youpick where you want to go?
John (21:24):
No.
So I applied to the WaterlooRegional Police Service so I
knew I was going to worksomewhere in Waterloo Region.
So we have three what we callurban divisions here.
When you come out and you'reassigned to one of the three so
it'd be North Division, which isWaterloo, central Division,
which is Kitchener, and SouthDivision, which is Cambridge you
(21:47):
get placed in one of thoseplaces.
You don't get to pick, really.
Maybe now they might ask youwhere you want to work, but it's
based on needs for people,right.
It's based on needs for forpeople, right.
So if cambridge or southdivision needs three new
officers because a couple peoplehave retired or moved on, then
that's where they'll put you.
Once you're past your you know,basically four or five years on
(22:10):
the job as a patrol officerinto what we call a first class
constable, you can startapplying for job openings.
That would maybe be like adetective or something like that
.
Emma (22:24):
So as I'm going to school, we've gone to the village in
Cambridge.
Do you know?
Kind of like the backgroundbehind that.
John (22:31):
Yeah, so the safety village was started, like many
other police services have them,and what it is is to bring kids
in to show some of theimportance of safety, but also
build a relationship with thepolice.
So I think it's important torealize that police are here to
(22:51):
help people and us, um, and thatkids of all people should be
able to come to us if they needhelp and realize we're people
too, we're fathers, we'remothers, we're, you know, uncles
and aunts and stuff like that,right?
So just the just building thatrelationship and giving
something fun, because, let's behonest, it's not pretty, it's
(23:11):
not very fun for a kid to comeand sit in a classroom somewhere
, but if they have something todo, you know, like going in
little stores or anything likethat, it's adds a little bit
more to the experience, right?
Speaker 4 (23:25):
It was.
It was really fun at thevillage.
John (23:28):
Good.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
So, before we go, can you let our listeners know
where the special Olympics areand where we can get more
information about them?
John (23:39):
Sure, so the special Olympics are happening
throughout Waterloo region.
Like I said, they happen inWal-Mart Township, waterloo,
kitchener and Cambridge.
So everything's posted online.
If anybody wants to visitwwwprovincialgamescom,
everything's there.
Um for the locations,information about volunteering,
(24:02):
information about you know.
Emma (24:03):
Draft an athlete program which gives people the
opportunity to donate orfundraise, uh, for the special
olympics so thank you so muchfor taking the time to talk to
us about the special olympics,and we're so happy to have you
on the show and we learned somuch today.
So thank you so much.
John (24:22):
You're very welcome.
Thank you for having me.
Emma (24:25):
Thank you for listening and I know all the shows.
You probably listened to saythis, but if you enjoyed this
episode, please follow and ratethe podcast.
Xavier (24:33):
Also, we would love to connect with you and hear your
thoughts about our episodes.
You can find us on Instagram orvisit our website.
The links are in the show notes.
Thanks for tuning in.
Bye.
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