'He loves it': Saskatoon Special Olympian taking his passion to Germany for World games

A special Olympian from Saskatoon is preparing to head to Germany in just over a month for the world games where he is expected to rack up some medals and maybe even bowl over the competition.

Ian Cushon may have an intellectual disability, but that doesn’t stop him from throwing strikes at the bowling alley. He plays 10-pin bowling and his highest score is 232. To achieve that score, he’s got five strikes in a row with spares in all the other frames. That means all the balls are knocked down by the second and final ball.

He’s heading to Berlin in June for the Special Olympic World Games with his coach Ruth Exley and a contingent of other Canadian athletes. It’s expected Cushon will bring home a medal.

Exley admits she doesn’t do much coaching because Cushon is just that good. Her expert opinion on why he’s so good is “Because he loves it, he just loves it,” Exley told CTV News.

She said she does help keep him focused from time to time though.

“His mind wanders a bit and I just have to bring him back and find his spot a bit. He just does it himself, and what I find is that a lot of the other athletes follow him, watch him, and learn from him,” she said.

His mom won’t be travelling on the trip but will be watching the competition from home.

“It’s so wonderful. Everyone’s so excited for him,” Cushon's mother said.

He bowls three times a week, according to his mom, and when they go away on vacation, he needs to bowl.

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 “We always have to find bowling. He’s bowled in Manhattan, Chicago, Las Vegas, Whitefish, London, England, Houston, and five pin at Banff springs hotel where they have a little bowling alley,” she says.

Coach Exley has taken two other bowlers to the world games in the past and says with special Olympians, winning and losing isn’t the focus, which is what makes their participation so unique.

“They have so much fun," she said. "They’re not really worried if they play badly or play well. They just love the sport,” she said.

Cushon has a game ball that he favours, which cost about $300. He carries it in a rolling backpack and can’t take it as a carry-on on the plane, which is a bit concerning as this means they are relying on the airline to ensure it makes it to Germany with them.

Exley says Cushon is most concerned about his favourite bowling shoes, which also cost around the $300 mark. He will be taking those onto the plane with him.

In the coming weeks, he’ll continue to train at Eastview Bowl.

When asked “How many times do you practice,” he laughs and is quick to say, “Lots.”

His coach has seen the field of competitors, and if all goes well, she expects Cushon to do really well and bring some hardware home to Saskatoon when the games wrap up.