A group practicing for the Special Olymics national games later this year had a welcome surprise while on the golf course last Thursday.
A visit from three All Blacks made the coaching session all the more special for the group.
“We normally practice at Greenacres but they had a tournament on, so we were at Nelson Golf Club for a coaching session preparing for special Olympic national games held in Hamilton in December,” says Vicki Spiers, whose son Karlin Spiers was one of those being coached.
Vicki is on the special Olympics committee and had taken Karlin to the All Blacks’ open training at Trafalgar Park earlier on Thursday so he could catch a glimpse of his favourite players.
“He didn’t cope too well with it as it was too crowded and he couldn’t see who he wanted to, so was a bit disappointed but he endured it,” she says.
Vicki then took Karlin to the Richmond Salvation Army store where he works on Thursdays.
Afterwards they headed to golf practice.
“I said to Karlin we should just stop in at the airport on the way and see if there were any All Blacks there, and there were so he got photos with a lot of players. which made him happy.”
When they arrived at Nelson Golf Club for the coaching session Vicki was telling the golf pro store about the experience Karlin had just had at the airport.
“They told me there were four players out on the course playing a round of golf, so I went and hunted them down and asked if they would come over and meet the kids,” Vicki says.
Vicki didn’t warn the group about the stars that were approaching, instead opting to give them a surprise.
“I said to the kids ‘I’ve got a bit of a surprise for you’, they looked up and their reaction was just so worth it, they screamed and yelled, it was so worth the effort.”
