NSSRA Sending 20 Athletes to June 10-12 Special Olympics Illinois State Summer Games
Northbrook – June 6, 2016 – This weekend 20 NSSRA Gator athletes will travel nearly three hours to Bloomington-Normal to participate in Illinois Special Olympics’ annual State Summer Games.
The Gators will compete in bocce, powerlifting, swimming, and track and field. In order to qualify each athlete was required to win first place at each sport’s respective regional competition. NSSRA is sending three bocce players, two swimmers, nine track and field athletes and it’s entire six-member powerlifting team to compete in the Summer Games.
NSSRA’s athletes won 38 gold, 12 silver and 8 bronze medals in qualifying competitions, with some athletes qualifying for more than one event. “The trip for NSSRA’s powerlifters is extra special since the entire team’s athletes qualified this year,” said Mark Schultz, NSSRA Recreation Specialist for Athletics & Fitness. “A lot of the credit has to go to their coach of 4 years, Joe Misek. He is knowledgeable, caring and dedicated to the athletes’ success. He expects a lot and they deliver their best.”
The Gators range in age from 8 to 58, and 19 of the 20 athletes are returning competitors. Seven coaches will accompany them to the competition. “First year coach Taylor Zornow will be travelling with two athletes from our swim team,” said Schultz. “Her upbeat approach and challenging drills have led to great success this season.”
NSSRA’s team of coaches has steadily worked with the athletes throughout their respective seasons, challenging them and pushing them toward the goal of the State Summer Games. Schultz concluded, “All the athletes have put in so much time over the weeks leading up to games to keep their skills sharp. It has become a tradition during our end of practice stretches to replace the number ‘8’ with ‘state’. It’s served as extra motivation for the athletes and to say they are eager for the upcoming trip would be an enormous understatement.”
The Illinois State Summer Games are held annually at Illinois State University, attracting over 4,000 athletes from districts throughout the state.
NSSRA Gator Athletes
Bocce
Jessica Grene, Highland Park
Christopher Shaw, Northfield
Vickilynn Shaw, Highland Park
Powerlifting
William Fisher, Highland Park
Randy Huffmaster, Highland Park
Miguel Lara, Highland Park
Kathleen Millar, Mundelein
Bryan Parent, Wilmette
John Christian Walti, Libertyville
Swimming
Alison Shapiro, Highland Park
Michael Young, Glenview
Track & Field
Samuel Green, Winnetka
Michael Hull, Deerfield
Thomas Jachtorowycz, Glenview
Dianna Mann, Highwood
Sam Mitchell, Highland Park
Jackie Richardson, Highland Park
Pamela Smith-Bergsrud, Lake Bluff
Luke Toussaint, Glenview
Kathleen Winslow, Winnetka
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NSSRA provides and facilitates year-round recreation programs and services for children, teens and adults with disabilities who live in the partner communities. NSSRA is an extension of ten park districts, two cities and one village in the northern suburbs of Chicago. This partnership includes the Park Districts of Deerfield, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Kenilworth, Lake Bluff, Northbrook, Northfield, Wilmette and Winnetka; the Cities of Highwood and Lake Forest; and the Village of Riverwoods. NSSRA has been creating an environment of belonging through play since 1970, and has the distinction as the first Special Recreation Association in the country. For more information about NSSRA and the programs and services they provide visit www.nssra.org.
The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Special Olympics Illinois, part of the global Special Olympics family, opened its first games at Soldier Field in 1968. In the years since they have grown to provide opportunities for over 20,000 Illinois athletes with intellectual disabilities in all 102 counties. For more information about Special Olympics Illinois, visit www.soill.org.