Special Olympics West Hawaii seeks coaches for swimming and track and field for its Spring season. It is also looking for assistants to help softball coach John Ruiz.
The organization will train coaches as needed.
Special Olympics is founded on the belief that people with disabilities can, with proper instruction and encouragement, learn, enjoy and benefit from participation in individual and team sports, adapted as necessary to meet the needs of those with special mental and physical limitations.
For further information, call Lona Warner, head of delegation for Special Olympics West Hawaii, at (808) 327-0491 or (808) 989-2080, or send an e-mail to biglona@hotmail.com.
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Come cheer and support Special Olympics West Hawaii athletes at these events:
- Bowling Unified Tournament at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 17 at KBXtreme in Kailua-Kona,
- Bowling Singles Tournament at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at KBXtreme in Kailua-Kona,
- Basketball Tournament at 9 a.m. Nov. 6 in Hilo, and
- Holiday Classic (State Tournament) Dec. 4 and 5 on Oahu.
For more information, call Area Director Dave Ross at (808) 345-1344.
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Special Olympics West Hawaii will hold its area meeting at 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the International Market Place in Kailua-Kona.
The discussion will focus on the status of sports, finances, future events, coaching and volunteer opportunities. The public is encouraged to attend and ask questions.
For more information, call SOWH Area Director Dave Ross at (808) 345-1344.
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For two days, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2010, the Honokohau Tesoro station was a buzz of activity with law enforcement officers and Special Olympics West Hawaii volunteers and athletes.
These people turned out to pump gas, wash windshields and collect donations for Tesoro Hawaii’s 5th annual Fueling Dreams, which benefits Special Olympics West Hawaii.
One of the biggest factors in successful fundraising is public awareness.
West Hawaii Today reporter Chelsea Jensen wrote an awesome article about the Fueling Dreams fundraiser and freelance photographer Laura Shimabuku took fabulous photos. The story and photos were published Oct. 1. View the front page package on the newspaper’s Web site or by clicking
here.
Enjoy the following excerpt from Jensen’s article:
Matt Myers, a 28-year-old Kailua-Kona resident who has participated in Special Olympics on the Big Island and Oahu for 15 years, said any amount people can spare helps local West Hawaii athletes, like himself, to compete at the state level.
“Even if you can only do 50 cents, that’s good. Give us whatever you can offer because it gives us so much opportunity,” he said. “This is more important to us than ever.”
According to Area Director David Ross, SOWH netted $4,300.00 in donations.
“I’m grateful for all the support we received from the Tesoro staff, the police officers and a very generous community” Ross said. “This is an improvement over last year. The funds will go a long way toward paying our bowling expenses as well as the cost of flying our bowling and basketball teams to the Holiday Classic in Honolulu in December.”
Enjoy the following awesome photos volunteer Nikki Cleintuar took at the fundraiser. To view more, click here.
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Special Olympics West Hawaii, Tesoro Hawaii, Hawaii Police Department and volunteers will be filling tanks from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Tesoro on Queen Kaahumanu Highway, which is across from the Honokohau Small Boat Harbor.
Tesoro is hosting “Fueling Dreams” events statewide at 12 gas stations to raise money for Special Olympics, a year-round program of sports training and competitions for people with intellectual disabilities. Last year, the event raised nearly $4,000.
Volunteers are needed to pump gas, talk story, clean windshields, laugh and take donations. Sign up for the following shifts: 6 to 10 a.m., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tell a friend, tell a co-worker, and tell your tutu. If you need gas, Tesoro is the place to be. The place will be pumping. Twice the shifts, twice the people, and twice the fun. Get out there and pump someone up.
For more information, call SOWH Area Director Dave Ross at (808) 345-1344 or SOWH Head of Delegation Lona Warner at (808) 989-2080.
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Special Olympics West Hawaii has announced sports practices for the Fall season, which ends with the much-anticipated Holiday Classic State Games Dec. 4 and 5 on Oahu.
Bowling practice is from 12:15 to 2:45 p.m. Sundays at KBXtreme in Kailua-Kona.
Basketball practice is from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at Kekuaokalani Gym in Kailua-Kona.
“Right now, we have many bowlers and not enough basketball players. As many of you know, the bowling alley looks great, but it is the most expensive sport we participate in all year,” said SOWH Area Director Dave Ross. “Our goal is to have two basketball teams of differing skill levels so we can have more athletes get playing time, as well as improve their skills, coordination, physical fitness, sportsmanship and teamwork. Let’s try to fill up the basketball rosters.”
SOWH is also looking for new athletes and volunteers. This is a year-round program of sports training and competitions for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Anyone interested in participating or volunteering should contact Ross at sowhdave@yahoo.com or 345-1344. Also, contact SOWH Head of Delegation Lona Warner at biglona@hotmail.com or 989-2080. Visit www.sowh.org for more information.
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Nonprofit organization Full Life has started The Next Chapter Book Club, a group for adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities interested in reading, learning and making friends in a fun setting.
The book club plans to meet in small groups weekly to read aloud and discuss books, which are provided by Full Life.
The first book will be “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London. It tells the story of a dog named Buck, who is stolen from his home in California’s Santa Clara Valley and take to the Alaskan gold fields to be a sled dog.
The book club will meet from 3 to 4 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Starbucks in Target, located on Makala Boulevard in Kailua-Kona. There is no fee.
Full Life assists in the empowerment of people with developmental disabilities, enabling them to achieve and enjoy a self-determined quality of life. Its success is measured daily in the lives that are touched, as well as remarkably enhanced and expanded.
For more information about The Next Chapter Book Club, call Debra Extor at 989-0748 or email sowhdebbie@yahoo.com.
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Under sunny skies, Special Olympics East and West Hawaii teams battled it out during the annual Big Island Soccer Tournament July 17 at the Makaeo Fields in Kailua-Kona.
Approximately 30 athletes participated and enthusiasm was high throughout the day. Why? Maybe, it was because of the excitement generated by the recently completed FIFA World Cup championships. Or perhaps, it was because this contest packs pure fun.
Special Olympics athletes truly enjoy playing a game they love, catching up with good friends from across the island and seeing how their team stacks up after weeks of training.
Scores from this competition will be used to division teams for the Aukake Classic, a statewide tournament that will be held August 21 and 22 on Oahu.
RESULTS:
- First Place: The Mighty Hilo Explosions Pitbulls.
- Second place: The Kona Henry [Editor's note: Formerly the West Hawaii Lions, this team changed its name this year to honor the memory of beloved teammate Henry Langidrik, 24, who died Sept. 2, 2009.]
- Third place: The Hilo Explosions Bulldogs.
Mahalo nui loa to:
- Koyo USA Corporation for generously donating all the bottled water for the event;
- Ryan McVeigh and Eric Larson, who served as tournament referees;
- Area Directors David Ross and Dee Cowdrey;
- SOWH Head of Delegation Lona Warner;
- All coaches, who continue to donate their time, talent and aloha throughout the various seasons;
- All volunteers, who helped with field set up, lunches and awards; and
- Ohana, friends and members of Hilo and Kona communities, who attended the tournament, cheered for athletes and supported Special Olympics teams.
Enjoy the following photos taken by SOWH volunteer Nikki Cleintuar.
To see more photos from this tournament, click here.
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Soccer practice for the Special Olympics West Hawaii team began June 14 at Pualani Estates park.
Practices will be held from 3:15 to 5 p.m. Mondays and Fridays at this park.
Athletes, coaches and volunteers are encourage to get involved in this exciting sport. Need some inspiration? Check out the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where professional teams from around the world compete. The final game is July 11.
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