Special Olympics New York officials have announced that the State Winter Games will be held in Syracuse in February of 2010-11. State Winter Games showcase the achievements of Special Olympics athletes and is one of three annual state games and 4,000 competitive experiences held each year throughout New York.
On the weekend of Feb. 5 and 6, 2010, in Syracuse, more than 400 Special Olympics New York athletes and coaches from across the state will join the State Winter Games. Athletic competitions will be held in Alpine and Nordic skiing, speed and figure skating, floor hockey and snowshoeing. More than 450 volunteers from surrounding communities are needed to support the event and are key to its success.
Co-honorary chairs of the State Winter Games are Onondaga County Executive Joanne Mahoney and James Gaspo, president of Citizens Bank. Co-games organizing committee chairs are William Fisher and Ann Rooney, also from the Onondaga County executive’s office. Citizens Bank and Wegmans Food Markets are premier event sponsors.
All State Winter Games events are free and open to the public.
Event schedule:
Opening Ceremonies will be held at 7 p.m. Friday Feb. 5 at the Oncenter Complex, featuring the Parade of Athletes, entertainment and the lighting of the Special Olympics Cauldron. Olympic Village, a recreation area for athletes and the public, will be open at the Oncenter prior to Opening Ceremonies. After Opening Ceremonies, floor hockey pairing games will be held at the Oncenter to division the athletes for the following day’s competition.
Athletic competition will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday Feb. 6 in six Olympic-style sports, including floor hockey at the Oncenter Complex, speed and figure skating at the War Memorial Arena, Alpine skiing at the Toggenburg Mountain Winter Sports Center in Fabius, Nordic Skiing at Highland Forest Park in Fabius and Snowshoeing at Thornden Park in Syracuse.
Volunteer duties:
Set up and break down sports venues, present medals, distribute lunches, sell merchandise and help with Opening Ceremonies and Olympic Village.
Staff the following athletic venues: Alpine skiing, Nordic Skiing, figure skating, speed skating, snowshoeing and floor hockey.
The deadline for volunteer assignments given is Jan. 27; after that date walk-in volunteers are welcome. For more information on volunteering, please visit specialolympicsNY.org and click on Winter Games, email volunteer@nyso.org or call (800) 836-6976.
Special Olympics New York, which does not charge athletes to participate, provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for more than 47,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
“Special Olympics aims to demonstrate that when people with and without intellectual disabilities are brought together by its year-round program of training and competition; myths are dispelled, attitudes are changed and new opportunities to embrace and celebrate people with intellectual disabilities are created,” said Neal J. Johnson, president and CEO of the organization.
Premier Sponsors Citizens Bank and Wegmans Food Markets are joined by these additional sponsors: NYSUT, A Union of Professionals; Civil Service Employees Association; Knights of Columbus; Wal-Mart and media sponsor Galaxy Communications.
