A Special Olympics BC athlete will be representing Ridge Meadows at the 2026 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in August, after he escaped a horrific car crash that could have claimed his life.
Coby Dandridge is one of more than 244 athletes who qualified for their spot on the Special Olympics Team BC Training Squad in aquatics, based on his performance at the Special Olympics BC Summer Games in Prince George last year.
On June 7, the 23-year-old was one of three friends in a vehicle coming home from a church group weekend camping trip at Shuswap Lake. They were travelling the Coquihalla Highway when the front axle on the vehicle broke.First responders told his mother, Candace Dandridge, the front right of the vehicle suddenly dropped, which popped off the right passenger tire, causing them to crash.
The vehicle rolled many times, said his mother.
However, the three friends had only minor scrapes and cuts and were taken to the hospital in Kamloops as a precaution.
Dandridge told his mom that they were lucky that it wasn’t the driver’s side tire that came off, as the vehicle would have veered into oncoming traffic.
His mom said it was unbelievable nobody was seriously hurt or even killed.
“I just know some sort of divine intervention came… how else could they have walked away from that,” she said.
Dandridge is a member of the Special O Team BC 2026 Training Squad, who will be heading to Medicine Hat, Alberta for the competition running from Aug. 11-15.
He got involved in Special O in 2019 when an old softball coach and family friend told him about the program.
This will be his first Canada Games.after winning two gold and one bronze medal at the 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games.
That was his favourite experience so far as an athlete because, he said, it was fun showing what he could do the best and has made him want to excel even more.
“As this was my first major summer competition, I feel really proud of myself. But now, I want to try even harder and do good at nationals,” he said online.
He said it means a lot to him to be a part of the provincial team, addinghe feels like he is in his natural habitat when he is swimming.
“It shows that if you try your best and put work into what you love, you can do great things. I also feel a sense of pride in representing the province,” said Dandridge, noting his goal will be to prove to everyone who doubted him and held him back in the past the he can do anything he puts his heart and mind to.
“This is a very big accomplishment, and I want to make the best of it,” he said.
More than 244 athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities, 75 volunteer coaches, and 22 mission staff from more than 42 communities across British Columbia will be representing B.C. on the national stage in 10 different sports.
“Our athletes have worked tremendously hard to earn their places on Special Olympics Team BC 2026, and I could not be more proud of how far they have come. Their commitment to training, their willingness to challenge themselves, and the support they show one another embody the very best of Special Olympics,” said Michelle Cruickshank, Special Olympics Team BC 2026 Chef de Mission.
“I also want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our coaches, hometown training coaches, mission staff, families, and supporters. Their unwavering commitment makes these opportunities possible and plays a vital role in every athlete’s success.”
In Medicine Hat, athletes will be competing for the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile.
To learn more about the Special Olympics go to: https://www.specialolympics.ca/british-columbia/communities/ridge-meadows.