Choirs across the country can’t wait to perform this holiday season after restrictions from last year’s pandemic, but a western Newfoundland choir can be more enthusiastic than most.
The group, made up mostly of Special Olympics athletes, will perform for the first time on Sunday.
“I couldn’t wait to be a part of it,” said Rebecca Hampton, 23, who has been singing since she was a teenager but only competed in the Special Olympics this year.
“Everyone has a talent, and they should appreciate that special talent,” said Hampton.
The Special Olympics organization provides sports opportunities for youth and adults with intellectual disabilities. For some of the people involved, shifting their focus away from moving their bodies to using their vocal cords to sing songs is something entirely new.
Make a dream come true
It was a special Olympian Sarah Flight, 22, who initiated the idea of a choir.
Flight has been participating in the Special Olympics for the past five years and also enjoys taking singing lessons with her music teacher Melanie Gosse.
“I knew a lot of other athletes who also loved to sing,” Flight said. “And I kind of mentioned to Melanie that there would be people who might be interested in doing that, if we just asked them.”
Kid was eager to try it out, and the Born to Fly fundraising concert for Special Olympics started to take shape.
First, Gosse received approval from the local Special Olympics organization, and then approached the athletes about the idea while they were at a bowling practice.
She told them that she would help them prepare two selections to play as a group, including the song Fly by Canadian singer April Lavigne, which has become the anthem of the Special Olympics.
“I brought in a whole bunch of athletes who wanted to sing songs for the show. And I was like, ‘Awesome! This is going to be amazing,’” Gosse said.
The choir of mostly Special Olympics athletes (along with a few friends) will perform for the first time this weekend at a fundraising concert for Special Olympics. Their conductor is Melanie Gosse of Gary Bennett Music in Corner Brook. pic.twitter.com/lQ2MyMqXty
Touching a sensitive chord
As the choir rehearses together, it’s easy to sense their enthusiasm for the singing and the fact that they are having a lot of fun doing it.
But Gosse said there were some emotional moments too, like when they first trained together.
“We started singing, and there were a few students who were so thrilled to be so happy to sing and to have this opportunity that they cried,” Gosse said.
Relative Anissa Bennett said she already shed a few tears at the thought of her 12-year-old son Dylan performing in the choir.
“He’s in grade 7 and has never been able to participate in school events like choirs or Christmas concerts. Maybe it could be due to special needs. He wasn’t able to handle it at the time, ”Bennett said.
But Dylan Bennett is happy with the opportunity now.
“I love to sing with my friends and I sing well. I train and train every Saturday,” he said.
Dylan’s mother will be one of the proudest members of the audience as her son takes the stage to sing along with his friends.
“I think it’s a perfect opportunity for them… I think it’s time for all of these athletes to shine, my son included,” said Bennett.
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