Mission’s Bryce Schaufelberger is sporting an extra bit of bling these days.
The accomplished soccer player recently returned from the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece, where Team Canada’s soccer squad earned the bronze medal, with a 4-1 win over Austria. The Mission forward snagging an assist on the final goal.
Schaufelberger has been playing for 17 years, and was involved in the gold medal win in Shanghai, China in 2007.
The team played four matches, he said, plus three seeding rounds in the F division, which is comprised of the United States, Austria, Spain and Canada.
The U.S. took the gold, with Spain winning silver.
Compared to past competitions, Schaufelberger said the Athens games were quite different.
Most of the soccer fields were spread across the countryside, requiring a lot of busing between sites, he said.
The team was able to get in a bit of sightseeing and enjoy the hot weather, Schaufelberger said, adding the trips are all funded through volunteer donations.