HARBOUR GRACE, NL — Crystal Young of Harbour Grace was honoured with her own street on Thursday night, Nov. 16.
Young, who won several medals during her three-week stint in Austria during the Special Olympics World Winter Games early in 2017, will now have an everlasting imprint on the community, with a street named after her – Crystal’s Way, located just off Devonshire Road.
The road, originally known as Crosbie Road Extension, leads into the community’s softball field, where residents in the area got to know her personally as they saw her training for the Olympics in her snowshoes every second day.
Following her success in Austria, Young’s name is being recognized alongside other Harbour Grace athletes such as Danny Cleary and Jamie Korab, with Young’s face seen on a large sign next to the Danny Cleary Harbour Grace Community Centre, easily visible to anyone driving by the area.
The street sign itself was originally unveiled soon after Young, alongside fellow Special Olympian Sandra Smith of Carbonear, returned home and was greeted by community-wide celebrations. Several months later, Crystal’s Way is officially a part of Harbour Grace.
An overjoyed Young, as well as dozens of family and friends including fellow Tri-Con Gentle Giants, saw the sign erected for the first time Nov. 16, followed by celebrations at the Danny Cleary Harbour Grace Community Centre.
Sonia Williams, deputy mayor of the Town of Harbour Grace, told The Compass the idea originally came about from the prior town council. While the process took some time, it was important for council to get the sign up now, as Young’s mother is currently undergoing chemo treatments.
Celebrations at the community centre saw even more of Young’s friends and family, as well as various members of the community, join together for a cake cutting and light snacks.
Both Young and Smith participated in several snowshoeing events at the World Winter Games, and both came home with several gold, silver and bronze medals to show for it. Smith also has a street named after her in her hometown of Carbonear – Sandra’s Run.
“It feels excellent, the sign is beautiful. Perfect,” Young told the Compass when asked how it felt to see the community celebrating her achievements. “That’s where I always train with my snowshoes – every two days, and now it’s named after me, which is just excellent.”
