EDMONTON -- Special Olympians playing for Team Alberta’s “Wolfpack” were celebrated in Edmonton Monday night as they prepare to compete for national glory.

Ninety-seven athletes, ranging in age from 13 to 63, are headed to Thunder Bay, Ont., for the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games starting Feb. 25.

Monday’s send-off celebration included a grand entry behind a bagpiper, speeches from athletes, and a taking of the Special Olympics oath.

“Our athletes have been working for years to get ready for this. And they’re representing their province,” Johnny Byrne, with Special Olympics Alberta, said.

“It’s really meant to be a big celebration of our athletes.”

The team has adopted the nickname “Wolfpack.”

Its slogan is “the strength of the wolf is the pack. The strength of the pack is the wolf.”

“It’s going to be a good experience with other people, when they bowl with us,” Brian Hodges, a 5-pin bowler, said.

Hodges, 63, said he enjoys teaching others how to bowl, but he also wants to win. He’s been training for nine years for an opportunity to compete nationally.

“Winning is the best thing for me, because I’d like to get the gold medal, like I did in Calgary last year at provincials,” Hodges said.

Nearly 4,000 Albertans compete in Special Olympics, with the help of about 950 coaches and volunteers. Of those, only a small fraction makes it to nationals.

“(Winning is) huge. That’s why athletes train. For many, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We have almost 4,000 athletes and we’re sending 100,” Byrne said.

The athletes will compete in eights sports: bowling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing and speed skating. 

About 60 of the athletes are from the Edmonton area, the rest are from Calgary and smaller communities across the province.

Team Alberta will hold a send-off event in Calgary this week for athletes there.