Please enjoy the following photos during the kickoff 2010 barbecue at Kahaluu Beach Park, where Special Olympics West Hawaii athletes, volunteers, coaches, friends and families celebrated last year’s season with awards and yearbooks. Throughout the day, there was live entertainment, signups for Spring sports, ono grinds and lots of mingling.
To view the entire album, click here. Nikki Cleintuar, a SOWH volunteer and fantastic lady, took these photos.
Special Olympics West Hawaii is looking for coaches and volunteers for its Spring sports season.
Athletes will be competing in swimming, softball and t-ball, powerlifting and track and field from February to May. Coaches will be trained at no cost.
Special Olympics West Hawaii is a year-round program of sports training and competitions for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
To get involved or for more information, call SOWH Head of Delegation Lona Warner at 989-2080 or e-mail biglona@hotmail.com.
Special Olympics West Hawaii will have its Kick-Off 2010 barbecue from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, at Kahaluu Beach Park. Anyone interested in learning more about Special Olympics, what the organization does and who it serves are welcome to attend.
There will also be sign-ups for Spring Sports (swimming, softball/t-ball, powerlifting, track and field), handing out 2009 yearbooks, and yearly awards. Lunch will be provided and guests are encouraged to contribute as they see fit. Live music, great people, an awesome cause.
For more information, e-mail SOWH volunteers chairwoman Dulcie at specialolympicswh@gmail.com or call SOWH area director Dave Ross at 345-1344.
Special Olympics West Hawaii held an area-wide bocce tournament Oct. 24 at Pualani Park in Kailua-Kona.
This was an important contest for the athletes and their unified partners as it was the qualifier for the next level of competition: the Holiday Classic on Oahu. Having practiced twice a week since late summer, everyone was ready to roll.
Bocce is traditionally offered in the summer season, but has also been added to the winter schedule this year to replace bowling, which is unavailable due to the closure of Kona Bowl for renovation.
An official West Hawaii sport for only a few years, bocce has been steadily gaining in popularity with athletes and attracting many new unified partners as well.
Among veteran players, the competition has become quite exciting. One of SOWH’s most senior athletes, Norman “Deadeye” Matsubara, who is over 50 years old and has emerged as the undisputed area champion of the game. He’s definitely the guy everyone will be watching to win top honors at the Holiday Classic this year.
But on Oct. 24, several first time “rookies” displayed impressive skills and motivation as well. Suffice it to say there will be no resting on laurels with this group.
Results of Doubles competition:
Division A
1st: Stingrays
2nd: Geckos
3rd: Sharks
Division B
1st: Dolphins
2nd: Honus
3rd: Whales
Results of Unified competition:
Division 1
1st: Norman Matsubara and Rich Randazzo
2nd: Isaiah Wong and Laurine Kaleohano-DeLovio
3rd: Linden Ventura and Chris O’Callaghan
4th: Dara Sabri and Kitt Kurtz
Division 2
1st: Adrian Cleintuar and Carl Warner
2nd: Ray Donager and Bob Yong
3rd: Duke Kaawa and Scott Avery
4th: Dorrit Williams and CoeAnn Gierke
Division 3
1st: Michael Tom Makanui and Les Lund
2nd: Edna Phillip and Doreen Parker
3rd: Murray Williams and Pam Haydon
4th: Apple Isidro and Dulcie Sorenson
Please enjoy the following photos taken by SOWH volunteer Nikki Cleintuar. To view the entire album, click here.
Special Olympics West Hawaii is conducting bocce ball practice from 3 to 4:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays at Pualani Estates’ fields. Also, SOHW is holding basketball practice from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Kekuaokalani Gym. For more information, call Lona Warner, head of delegation, at 989-2080.
West Hawaii Today reporter Chelsea Jensen wrote a great followup article about Cop on Top, the annual fundraiser for Special Olympics West Hawaii. The story was published Sept. 12 and can be viewed on the newspaper’s Web site. Here’s an excerpt:
While the Cop on Top event in Kailua-Kona earlier this month may not have netted Special Olympics West Hawaii’s goal of $15,000, the $13,101 donated will help the organization purchase equipment and uniforms, train coaches and send athletes to area and state Special Olympics tournaments this fall and winter, said Special Olympics West Hawaii Area Director Dave Ross.
“We had a good turnout, people were very generous. Our goal was $15,000, which we didn’t reach, but we made more money this year in a bad economy than last year when the economy wasn’t that bad,” Ross said, noting that the 2008 event netted about $11,300 in Kona. “Thumbs up to everybody.”
