More than 650 athletes compete in May Games in Holyoke!
Aquatics and Track & Field athletes flocked to Holyoke
High School to compete in the 2008 May Games, an assessment round that qualifies
them to advance to the 2008 Summer Games in Boston! Thanks to the effort of more
than 200 volunteers, the athletes were treated to a great competitive and social
event. A new addition this year was the Healthy Athletes Special Smiles program
presented by the Wal-Mart Foundation; this program provided dental screenings to
participating athletes as part of an initiative to help Special Olympics
athletes improve their health and fitness. Its ultimate aim is to improve each
athlete’s ability to train and compete in Special Olympics as well as succeed in
life. Check out the competition results here!
Young Athlete Day hosted by Worcester State College!
On Saturday, April 19th Worcester State College hosted a Special Olympics MA
Young Athletes Day! Athletes ages 2.5 – 7 enjoyed various stations of sports
play activities and were awarded medals at the end of the event. The weather was
perfect and everyone had a great time. We would like to thank the Worcester
State College nursing students who volunteered to hold the event and the
families and athletes who participated! Click
here to view
the photo gallery!
Three new programs for young children ages 2 to 8; SOMA West partners with
Springfield JCC and YMCA!
We are excited to be offering two Young Athletes
programs this spring at the Greater Springfield Jewish Community Center and the
Scantic Valley Branch of the Springfield YMCA. Scroll down to the message board
for more information.
Our deepest gratitude to retiring coaches!
Two longtime coaches will be retiring for Special Olympics this spring:
Jack
Rioni from the Pioneer Valley Ski and Tennis Program and Marie Prescott of
Westboro Unified Sports. Thanks to both for their years of service to our
athletes and program. The continued growth and success of your programs is a
testament to the foundation you've laid.
Greater Springfield Global Messengers class of 2008 partner with MassMutual
Toastmasters!
The Greater Springfield Global Messengers Class of 2008 is taking part in a
eight week Toastmasters training program called SpeechCraft, thanks to the
generosity of the MassMutual Toastmasters organization. Three brand new
Global Messengers, Meagan Bell, Stephanie Hogan, and Patrick Adams and veteran
Global Messengers Rex Young and Larry Reyome, work with MassMutual
volunteers on their presentation skills, etiquette, and speechwriting. On May
12th, each Global Messenger will deliver a speech at a large graduation
ceremony open to friends, family, and invited guests.
Four new schools systems join the
SOMA West School Day Games program!
The West section welcomes four new school systems to our School Day Games
programs - Marlborough, Douglas, North Berkshires County, and Quabbin/Quaboag!
Contact your school to get involved today!
Families in Focus: June 24 SOMA Families Committee
Meeting in
Springfield!
The first quarterly Families Committee meeting will be held
Tuesday, June 24th from 4-6 pm at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center in West
Springfield. This is a great opportunity to share ideas and learn more about
current and new programs within Special Olympics Massachusetts – and meet
Virginia Davidson, SOMA Board Member and Chair of the Families Committee. For
more information, please call Jocelyn at 413-747-8946 or contact via email
Jocelyn.Deblois@specialolympics.org RSVP to Jocelyn by June 17th.
Big Y contributes proceeds from 2008 Paul H. D'Amour Golf Outing!
The SOMA West Section was one of the chosen beneficiaries of the 2008 Big Y Paul H. D'Amour Memorial Charity Golf Outing. $5,000 dollars will be donated to support competition and training for athletes from Natick to the Berkshires.
Thank
you Big Y!
