When not competing, training or cheering on fellow participants, Summer Games coaches, staff and athletes have one more massive hobby in the form of pin trading.
“It’s been going on for a long time,” said coach Kristen McDonald with Team Ontario. “I’ve been involved with the Special Olympics for 12 to 13 years, and it’s been happening long before I started.”
Each province or territory often creates their own pin for major sporting events such as the Special Olympics or the Arctic Winter Games, explained Ontario bowler Melinda Hames. Each region has a collection of 2026 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games pins to distribute, creating an opportunity to meet other participants and bond over a shared interest.
In addition, many athletes bring pins from their hometowns or other events they have attended, to create more opportunities to trade.
“I unfortunately didn’t have enough time to pick up some hometown pins on our way out, but I’m making it work,” said athlete Noah Pyke, who added it is his first Games and as such his first time pin trading. “I’ve gotten some gifted pins from the Ontario teams and our coaches, and from that, I’ve gotten some from four provinces plus one territory. It’s my goal to get them all.”
More important than the pins, said athlete Danie Houle, it’s an opportunity to make friends, potentially from across the country. Trading pins is simply a perfect icebreaker.
“People trade during competitions, if they’re seeing each other at opening ceremonies,” said Hames. “We’ve got some free time, so we thought we’d come and check out other sports and get some other pins while we’re at it, it’s been great so far. You get to meet all new kinds of people like you, who you might have otherwise been nervous to approach.”
