Special Olympics

Special Olympics is an organisation that promotes sporting opportunities for people with a learning disability. FDSO has good links with the regional Special Olympics group.
Special Olympics run numerous events in the region throughout the year, including:
Athletics, Bowls, Boccia, and Football.

LATEST NEWS

 The Special Olympics New Age Kurling event took place last month at Featherstone organised by Able2. This was a well organised the event  and  was greatly enjoyed by the athletes.
 
On Saturday 5th March 140 athletes attended the local swimming gala hosted by City of Hull club. Some athletes would, perhaps be disappointed, as there were several disqualifications for arm and leg action on the breast stroke. However it should prove to be a useful learning experience for both coaches and athletes. Chris Armstrong from ASA also attended to identify potential Yorkshire Disability Team swimmers and observe those already included.
 
 AWARDS FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS VOLUNTEERS! - CONGRATULATIONS!
Joyce Pace, volunteer from Wakefield, received a local unsung heroes award from Brewer’s Fayre. 

Janet Nolan received the Diamond Award at the Hull and East Yorkshire’s Sporting Heroes and Champions Awards evening.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

SPECIAL OLYMPICS REGIONAL ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS COMPETITION Sunday 20th March, WOODFORD LEISURE CENTRE.
 
Special Olympics provides year round training and competition opportunities for athletes who have a learning disability to participate in a range of individual and team sports. Children from 6 years upwards can join Special Olympics Clubs where they can make new friends, learn new skills and develop an outgoing, positive attitude to the challenges of life. There are 135 Special Olympics Groups in Great Britain with over 8,000 athletes participating in sports such as power lifting, football, athletics, golf, judo and many others, supported by over 2,600 volunteer coaches.
Special Olympics City of Hull offers swimming and gymnastics sessions.
 
Special Olympics City of Hull Gymnastics Club is hosting a Regional Artistic Gymnastics Competition on Sunday 20th March at Woodford Leisure Centre.
Around 30 gymnasts from all over the North of England will be competing - the Men on 6 pieces of apparatus and the Women on 4 pieces, at 3 different levels according to their ability.
Come along and support our local gymnasts on 20th March.
City of Hull gymnast Mary Nolan, who has been selected to attend the World Games in Greece this year, will be competing, alongside fellow GB team mates Sarah Whitehouse and Richard Hammond from Wolverhampton, and Joel Fitzpatrick from Gymworld in Middlesborough.
If you would like to support Mary and the GB team, Virgin Giving has set up a web page to make it easy:

Yorkshire & Humberside : http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/SpecialOlympicsYorkshireHumberside

If your son or daughter has a learning disability and would be interested in trying either gymnastics or swimming, phone Janet Nolan 01482 871349 (swimming) or Johanna Billingsley 01482 325847 (gymnastics) for details of club sessions.

TEN PIN BOWLING

The ten pin bowling event will hopefully now take place in June. The bowling centre used by Bradford Sports who organise this event for the region closed on change of ownership. They have found a new venue and are now arranging a date.

SWIMMING
22 May 2011– Sheffield Otters are hosting a swimming gala

FOOTBALL
26 June 2011– Sheffield footballers are holding a 5-a-side tournament.
Regional football competition has been confirmed as 24 July 2011. There is the possibility of a National athletics competition 19 -21 August 2011 in Middlesbrough..
 
WORLD GAMES
There is another sports specific training weekend for World Games athletes from the region in Dundee 25 – 27 March. Athletes have now received the team kit and excitement is mounting. National Office reports that ITV will send a crew to Athens. They will cover some of the athletes for each region in the lead up to the Games. BBC will also do some regional TV/Radio/Online coverage. Yorkshire Radio would also like to feature the regional team members.

THE YORKSHIRE & HUMBERSIDE REGIONAL SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETICS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE AT DOROTHY HYMAN STADIUM, BARNSLEY on Saturday 21st May 2011
 
For further details on all events, please contact Janet Nolan janet@nolan5.karoo.co.uk  01482 871349 unless otherwise indicated

SPECIAL OLYMPICS YORK

For information on all Special Olympics events in York, please visit:-

www.specialolympicscityofyork.org