A bowler from Chatham will be representing the area and the province at the Special Olympics National Winter Games in Calgary next week.
Mike Mariash of Chatham will be competing in the 5-pin bowling competition starting on Tuesday as part of Team Ontario.
Mariash has been with Special Olympics Chatham-Kent for over 23 years. He has been to provincials before and other local tournaments but has never been to Nationals.
Mariash is excited about the competition. "Meeting some new people and just to see how well I can do. I'm pretty good at it. So, I'm hoping to bring back the gold," he said.
The bowler said he doesn't do anything special to prepare for the big competitions, adding he just focuses on hitting the right spots.
Mariash has done a lot to raise money to help cover the cost of his trip. He helped out at Tim Horton's on St. Clair Street in Chatham for the Special Olympics Donut Day Campaign. He also raised money and jumped in the local Polar Plunge.
Click here if you would like to donate to help cover his expenses.