Adrian Rowe isn't quite sure what to expect as he heads off to represent New Zealand at this year's Special Olympics World Summer Games in Greece.
The games start on June 25, and will see more than 7500 Special Olympics athletes from 185 countries compete in 22 sports.
New Zealand will be represented by 35 athletes competing in athletics, aquatics, basketball, bowling, equestrian, golf and power lifting.
Rowe will represent the country in tenpin bowling.
He left Rotorua to join the team in Auckland today and will leave for Athens tomorrow.
"I'm a bit nervous. I just want to go now," he told The Daily Post.
It would be his first time travelling so far away from home.
He said while he wasn't sure what to expect, he hoped he would perform well at the games.
"I'm just going to try my best."
Rowe, who turns 50 in December, has been an active member of Special Olympics Rotorua for the past 26 years.
He was nominated by the Special Olympics Rotorua Club alongside fellow athlete Alan Coleman for the Special Olympics selection camp in Christchurch last October.
Coleman was selected as a non-travelling reserve for the bowling team and was required to undertake the same training and practice programme as Rowe.
They underwent intensive training regimes provided by GO 360 and a personal trainer, plus extra coaching from Strikezone helped improve their game immensely.
Rowe now faces a gruelling 28-hour flight to Athens.
On arrival, the team will spend three days training and acclimatising in Loutraki near Corinth before the games before spending a further six days in the Host Town programme at the Rhodes Elysium Resort and Spa.
Special Olympics Rotorua spokeswoman Annette Comp said they were excited to see him go and hoped Rotorua would get behind him and support him through out the games.
Rowe's progress can be seen on the Special Olympics website.
The games finish on July 4 and team will arrive back in New Zealand on July 8 after three days in Dubai. Rowe will be back into Rotorua the same day. Locals were encouraged to give him a hero's welcome when he lands at the Rotorua Airport at about 5pm.
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