Team Manitoba Head Coach Travelling to National Games with his Son

Special Olympics Manitoba’s head coach of their golf team—Jody Norminton—said he is travelling to the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Medicine Hat, Alberta alongside his son Jason, who is competing in golf. 

 Jody Norminton said he joined Special Olympics at least as far back as 1992, helping out with the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games when they were searching for volunteers. Happily married with a daughter and a son—the latter of whom, Jason, has Down syndrome—Jody said that volunteering for Special Olympics was an easy fit due to his own lived experience. 

He said Jason grew up playing softball in generic children’s leagues until he was around 8 or 9 years old, when “things advanced too far” for what he was ready for. Special Olympics gave Jason an opportunity to play sports at a level that was accommodating to him, he now plays softball, 10-pin bowling, curling, and will be competing on Team Manitoba for Golf. 

“He’s such a sport nut, and that gave him the desire to compete.” Jody said proudly. “We realized after, that the social aspect is just as important as the sport itself.” 

 Jody said his son is working two part-time jobs, one as a courtesy clerk at Safeway grocery store, and the other as a dressing room assistant of the Brandon Wheat Kings WHL Team. The hockey job started when a friend let Jody know that they were looking for a new equipment manager, a role that Jason applied to with his dad following behind, getting another job in the same organization. 

 “Jason’s responsibilities grew and grew,” Jody recalled, “now for each game day he does all their set up for them. In terms of the years he’s been there, Jason might be the longest standing Wheat Kings employee. We’re not positive, but we think it’s been 22 years, 20 years.” 

As for the courtesy clerk job, Jody said his son is a natural fit because “Jason is very personable.”  

However, he wasn’t always as social as he is now, and Jody credits Special Olympics with making social interactions more acceptable and appropriate for his son.  

“Jason went to a couple National Games in swimming,” Jody said, “as he grew up he wanted something more social than swimming, which is a very individual sport. Jason joined softball, and his social interaction increased immensely!”

Because teams in the small yet tight-knit community of Brandon, Manitoba often needed volunteers, Jody originally started volunteering out of necessity so Jason would have programs to attend. He also wanted to allow Jason some social time away from his dad, so Jody would leave some programs that had enough volunteers to run without him. In golf, there are opportunities for Jody to volunteer and not always be by Jason’s side, even though he coaches on the same local team.  

Although this will be Jason's first time competing at the National Games in golf, he has been to Provincials for golf two times before. This also meant that, after Canada missed one of its National Games due to COVID, he was picked as one of the golf athletes to go to the 2023 Berlin Games. 

“It was an unbelievable experience,” Jody said, who also went to Berlin as  Jason’s caddy, “everyone asked me what my favourite memories was in Special Olympics, and without a doubt it was walking into opening ceremonies with my son. 

 “The golf competition was amazing,” he continued, “some extremely good golfers. Jason did well in golf, but I mostly remember the atmosphere that the competition provided.”  

Jody received the Head Coach position for golf on Team Manitoba, and then Jason qualified for Nationals at the Manitoba Provincial Games. Even though this is Jason’s fifth National Games and the second time he will be going with his father to a large-scale golf tournament, it is Jody’s first time going to a National Games as head coach. However, Jody said he is not worried about going to the Games themselves and is more focused on making sure the training leading up to it goes well. 

“I’m a firm believer that at the Games themselves, your coaching is almost done and you’re there as a supporter,” Jody said. "But now we’re making sure everyone has the tools that they need, that part makes me super nervous: making sure they have what they need.” 

Part of their training is preparing  in case something goes wrong, such as a delay in their schedule. Jody said golfers are often routine-based athletes, so his team is making sure their athletes will be able to compete even if part of that routine is broken. For instance, he wants them ready to golf even if they do not have any time to hit some balls on the range before hand, especially if that kind of warmup may be something the athlete would usually do at a game. 

 Jody said Special Olympics Manitoba has done a great job with training athletes to represent their province at the upcoming Summer Games, and that his golf athletes have been training at an indoor simulation once a week. These same athletes have also been doing strength and conditioning training to prepare for The Games. However, Jody said he is “itching” to get the athletes onto the grass as soon as the weather permits, just so they have as much practice as they can.