Marvel superheroes meet special Olympic heroes at FirstOntario Centre

Some of Hamilton's special Olympics athletes had chance to go through a morning of intense superhero training Wednesday at FirstOntario Centre.

Members of the Marvel Universe Live! stunt show were the designated trainers.

"This is a great opportunity," says Frank Mohr. "This is my first time working with athletes of the Special Olympics and so it's a great treat to be here today."

The show, which opens Thursday in Hamilton, features more than 25 of the Marvel Universe characters. Frank plays some of the bad guys of the Marvel Universe. He plays super villain Rhino, Loki's foot soldier Chitauri and a four legged stilt creature.

"I'm up on four-legged stilts tied to another person who is also on four legged stilts!" he says.

The athletes were trained in shield tossing, and enemy takedowns.

Samantha Lemieux is a member of the Special Olympics team. She's a well-rounded athlete performing in golf, gymnastics, basketball and softball.

"Shield tossing was my favourite part," she says. "I'm not really a superhero, but I like the experience."

The Hamilton Special Olympics runs a total of 12 different sports. Athletes may compete at the community level and may advance to the regional, national and world levels.

Donna Lazar is the Hamilton community coordinator for Special Olympics. "It's fantastic. There were a lot of smiles and all these athletes truly enjoy themselves and love to be in the spotlight," she says.

Marvel Universe Live! is produced by Feld Entertainment. The show includes state of the art special effects, aerial manoeuvers, pyrotechnics, martial arts, 3D projection and even motorcycle stunts. 

They will be performing at FirstOntario Centre from Oct. 18-21. Hamilton will be the only stop in Canada for the 2018 tour.