special olympics

April 2, 2000

, who is 9, has been doing S.O. since kindergarten. She has done

soccer, bowling, and swimming. This is the way ours works:on the first day

of each sport, the coaches see what abilities the kids have and then they

sort of group them by ability. has always been one of the youngest

athletes. In our S.O., the majority of athletes seem to be teenagers. It's

been alot of fun. She seems to like the individual sports, swimming and

bowling, better than the Team sports, soccer. This year we may do track and

field. It's a great way to meet other parents. I enjoy it too.

Good luck

Jeanne

Special olympics

> I have sent in 's registration forms for SO. Can someone whose

> children participate please fill me in as to how they get placed on teams.

> For instance we are interested in basketball, bowling and maybe

gymnastics.

> Can you join more than one and/or are you placed on a team of someone

else's

> choosing??

> Kathy

>

March 3, 2001

When we got here, we called SO because had been active in Missouri.

They told us that there was a local team with many active parents and that

we would fit right in. These folks are now like family. We will miss them

terribly. They participate in bowling and basketball in winter (as well as

some ice skating here in Hawaii), soccer and bocci in fall, and swimming,

softball and track in spring/summer. has stayed in great shape.

Elaine

Special olympics

> I have sent in 's registration forms for SO. Can someone whose

> children participate please fill me in as to how they get placed on teams.

> For instance we are interested in basketball, bowling and maybe

gymnastics.

> Can you join more than one and/or are you placed on a team of someone

else's

> choosing??

> Kathy

>

March 3, 2001

Hi

Here in our area we joined the Candlepin team. There was only one and worked

out well for us. They has other floor hockey and such but we choose bowling.

He had placement today and got 1st place a gold medal. He is so excited. I

watched them all going up for medals and I almost cried. It was such a moving

experience!!!!!!!

Yes, he won first place but was the only bowler his age. We did not tell him

that!!!!!

Having fun, being emotional and hoping to make it to the big game in

Worchester next month.

Jeannette

March 3, 2001

In a message dated 3/3/01 7:09:23 PM Central Standard Time,

angel2cook@... writes:

> Yes, he won first place but was the only bowler his age. We did not tell him

> that!!!!!

>

That is like dog shows, if someone tells you his dog won first place

or second place, always ask how many dogs were in it. We don't do dog shows

but did take our Keeshond to one when he was a pup. He got second place.

You guessed it, 2 dogs in his division. Jessie

March 7, 2001

I am so glad to hear that Special Olympics is what it is supposed to

be in some places. Here it is a big nothing. was in it one year.

In the spring they met 3 or 4 times at the college track and they timed each

person on various races, etc. Then they had the regional meet. No one paid

any attention to the timed info. And that was it for the year. It's the

same with swimming. They meet for a few weeks before the tournament. The

only thing that was ongoing was bowling and was always the only one

in a w/chair so that fouled things up. They did have basketball I think but

not for wheelchairs. At the first meeting at the track they announced who

was going to Nationals. There was no competition for it.

At the tournament, they put R. with another group for some activities,

so there were other chairs. They did a relay race. One group of four went

down the track and handed off the wand. Then the other group did the same

thing. They all got gold medals. That was a race? R. did not go to the

State tournament, it was 200 miles away, they took a bus and wouldn't allow

parents to go, and the bus was not accessible. I would not let him go with

no one knowing how to handle it. Anyway the whole thing was such a farce.

We found the group he bowls with now who are mostly physically disabled and

mostly in w/chairs. They all use a ramp except R., he really bowls. His

average is about 90 and he has bowled over 120 several times. And they only

bowl about 10 times a year. It's good for him tho, to be around others in

chairs. But SO is a real farce here. Jessie

March 7, 2001

I agree with Rick that SO is great for our kids. is very fit. Here

in Hawaii, one can do more than one sport per season if they don't conflict

when it comes to scheduling. does softball and swimming for summer

games (practice is from January to May). He does bowling and basketball for

winter games but these conflict for state games so he does area competition

in both and basketball for state. He does soccer in the fall. He is one

muscular kid and very healthy.

Elaine

Special Olympics

> Kathy ...

>

> Special Olympics is really good for our kids. The S.O. organization

> really enables the program which is run by various agencies, schools,

> and individual coaches. You can sign up for as many things as

> you have time and schedule for, but you need to understand that the

> competitions and meets are such that she can do only one thing at any

> one of them.

>

> Gymnastics was considered a 'summer games' sport and if you did that,

> you couldn't compete inswimming (although your could train for both).

> Alpine skiing, on the other hand, is 'winter sport' and you can do that

> an gymnastics without difficulty.

>

> I put my daughter in gymnastics first and skiing shortly afterwards.

> For a few years we had wonderful gymnastics programs in our area and

> then they stopped. So I became the coach for my daughter for a dozen

> years or so. It was wonderful for both of us .. and she did make it all

> the way to World Games.

>

> In skiing, I was always the coach because she learned skiing as a family

> thing and doing races for S.O. was an outcome.

>

> There are three parts to Special Olympics as I see it. There is the

> training and development of fitness and the body coordination deeded for

> a sport. There is learning the sport (which can be pretty complicated

> for gymnastics or skiing. Finally, there is competition in which every

> athlete has a reasonable chance to succeed. The net is an incredible

> help in building self image in our kids.

>

> Rick ...... coach and dad to Jan (now 28)

>

March 8, 2001

You are definitely in the wrong place. We have all kids here. Wheelchairs are

welcome. In Missouri, they had plenty of kids with wheelchairs. The schools

all ran the SO. All the team coaches were sped teachers and PE teachers and

they worked with the kids during adaptive PE time at school. Here it is family

run. We require that at least one parent be involved or the kid can't be on our

team. They must attend all practices. is a coach so he must attend, but

when the Army Band requires he be elsewhere, I go. I go to all the events. It

takes the effort of many folks to make it what it is in both states. I hope

Georgia has a decent system. If not, we may have to start one.

Elaine

Re: Special Olympics