Torch Run in Madoc recognizes Special Olympics Floor Ball team

Members of Central Hastings OPP were joined by students from Central Hastings School for The Torch Run for Special Olympics Friday morning.

The group made its way from the school on Elgin Street to the OPP detachment headquarters on Highway 7.

In a gathering at the detachment following the run, there was a special presentation made to the Central Hastings Centurion Floorball team that recently competed in the 2025 Special Olympics School Championships in Ottawa winning bronze.

Central Hastings OPP Community Engagement Officer Constable Darcy Masterson says he was able to see the team play and it enforced why the Special Olympics is such an important cause for law enforcement.

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“Actually, one of the kids told me that he never left Madoc, so he got to go on a train, you know, to the big city in Ottawa. And then I was so happy to see just what sport is supposed to be. Like it was just fun and they were high-fiving the opposing members of the other team, encouraging each other, and they were all out, you know, having fun.”

The team was also gifted $500 from the proceeds of an upcoming golf tournament involving Central Hastings and Bancroft OPP to put towards the cost of their trip to Ottawa.

Masterson says the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is a worldwide movement with more than 100,000 officers involved worldwide to encourage acceptance and inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The open house at the detachment included tours of the building and K-9, ERT and Marine Unit displays along with a BBQ put on by the Lions Club.