Greta cheered for everybody at the Sask Summer Games!

By Joan Janzen

Everyone was cheering for Greta Bobbee as she headed to Lloydminster on July 21 to participate in the Saskatchewan Summer Games. She was accompanied by her mom, Shauna Bobbee, and her coach, Maureen Dobbin.

This Kindersley teen was part of the River’s West Special Olympics bocce team, along with two athletes from Lakeland District, and one from the Southeast. “We only had one athlete from this district who could go, so we had to have athletes from other districts on the team,” Maureen explained. “It was a good experience for all of us.”

Greta won her final bocce ball game on Wednesday at the 2024 Saskatchewan Summer Games in Lloydminster. Photos by Shauna Bobbee and Maureen Dobbin

Maureen Dobbin, Greta Bobbee and their new friend, Joey Carriere, team manager from Unity. Photos by Shauna Bobbee and Maureen Dobbin

The highlight of the summer games for Greta was meeting mascots Tansi and Ravi. Photos by Shauna Bobbee and Maureen Dobbin

Part of the experience included the opening ceremonies when Greta and Maureen waved glow sticks along with more than 1,000 athletes, coaches, managers and volunteers. A total of 1800 participants and nine district teams took part in the games throughout the seven days.

Family, friends and fans were in the stands taking it all in. Shauna described the event saying, “Everyone was so supportive of each other. It was the happiest place to be. It was such a special event.”

Greta played a total of seven games on Monday and Tuesday and won two. She won her final match on Wednesday which was an incredible achievement because the competition was tough.

During the competition, Shauna discovered that her 17-year-old daughter was ten years younger than her competitors, who had been playing bocce for at least eight years. Greta only began playing bocce in January of this year!

“We started bocce as something new at the beginning of the year. We had a mini-competition in Kindersley, and at that point, we didn’t even know the rules. We had zero expectations,” Maureen explained.

However Greta amazed everyone, and her coach was so proud of her. “It’s a wonderful community; Greta cheered for everybody,” Maureen said. “At the opening ceremonies, the participants were reminded to thank the volunteers, and Greta did that. I was most proud of her independence. When we first got there we stuck close together. But she went down by herself and got her breakfast, and I was so proud.”

Greta and her coach were very surprised when they were interviewed by the local television station. Greta’s mom was thrilled when she watched the interview later that day.

Besides playing bocce ball, Greta enjoyed all the fun activities going on: a dance, frisbees, outdoor games, and board and card games. Along with the meals, snacks were available all day long.

“I met a lot of people!” Greta said. “There were 16 girls in my room!” The girls shared accommodation at a local high school.

But when asked what her favourite part of the summer games was, Greta said it was meeting mascots Tansi and Ravi, a brother and sister team of white-tailed deer.

As our conversation came to a close, I asked Greta if there was anything else she wanted to tell me. Greta promptly replied, “I have a boyfriend!” So when you see Greta, be sure to find out the rest of the story as she shares about the fun time she had at Lloydminster!

Congratulations, Greta. We can’t wait to see how the competition plays out next year.