Articles from December 2016

I remember the very first time I attended a Special Olympics Iowa event. I had signed myself up, along with my two children, to be volunteers at the State Summer Games in Ames. This was when we were using an outdoor track at ISU. As we walked toward the track, we continually had athletes come up to us telling us they were there to compete or to ask us what we were there for. We heard nothing but positives about how hard they had worked, how much fun they were having, and that we could be their friend. I was hooked before I ever got started.

Little did I know what they meant by the word friend. For eight years, we kept coming back. Every year I made more “new friends.” I ran the 50 meter dash and worked the relay races on Saturday. Later I became a member of the Summer Games Steering Committee. I was amazed at how much work went into just putting together the Summer Games. I couldn’t get enough of Special Olympics. I dreamed of working for them full time, but in reality, I knew the odds were slim.

But one Saturday morning at the State Summer Games, the CEO at that time, Bob Ligouri, was standing beside me as a race was going on. I was my usual obnoxious self, screaming at my new friends to keep up the good work. When the race was over, he asked me if I had ever thought about switching careers. I looked at him, very puzzled as to why he would ask that. He then asked me, “How would you like to work for Special Olympics Iowa?” I told him I dreamed of working for them, but knew I wouldn’t qualify. He said yes you would and asked me to meet with him and Pam Wagner the following Monday. On Monday morning he offered me the job, and I said yes.

Thus began the most wonderful 27 years of my life. …

Over 300 athletes from across the state are set to compete in the 2017 Special Olympics Iowa Winter Games January 9-10 in Dubuque. More than 130 coaches and chaperones, as well as 150 volunteers, will donate their time to serve the athletes and make the event a success.

Children and adult athletes of all abilities will participate in sports like Alpine skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, short track speed skating and figure skating. The Grand Harbor Center, Sundown Mountain, Albrecht Acres and Mystique Community Ice Center will host the competitions and activities.

“Our athletes are very excited to showcase their skills and abilities at the Winter Games,” said SOIA Director of Sports & Advanced Competitions, Rhonda Schwarzkopf. “Their dedication is amazing to watch. Winter Games would not be possible without the support and commitment of athletes’ families, coaches and our volunteers.” …

Special Olympics Iowa is always proud to have new delegations starting up across the state. Whether they’re big or small, beginners or experts, they add another voice for SOIA and all of our athletes.

And sometimes small can be mighty. That’s what Jolene Whitmore thought when she came to Underwood Community Schools in Underwood, Iowa three years ago. She noticed that something was missing at her new job. “When I came here I started in a more self-contained classroom and started asking why there wasn’t a Special Olympics,” says Whitmore. “I had come from West Harrison where they had a big Special Olympics following. I thought OK, we need to change this. We need a Special Olympics team.”

So Whitmore and another teacher decided to start a delegation at Underwood, making Whitmore the Delegation Manager and head coach. The Underwood team currently has four athletes, but that small number doesn’t stop them from competing at the highest levels. Just this fall they had a student compete in State Bowling, where they came in first place.  …

Thanks to a partnership between Iowa State University Athletics and UnitedHealthcare, Special Olympics Iowa athletes have been given opportunities to attend a men’s basketball game during the 2016-2017 season.

In collaboration with SOIA, UnitedHealthcare presents the “Athlete of the Game” at ten men’s basketball games at ISU. A Special Olympics athlete is recognized on the floor at Hilton Coliseum and presented with an autographed basketball. …

West Region Director of Field Services, Bruce Wilson, was inducted into the Simpson College Coaches Hall of Fame in October. Before joining the Special Olympics Iowa staff, Wilson served as the head coach of Simpson’s men’s basketball team for 25 years.

Membership in the Coaches Hall of Fame at Simpson is reserved for coaches who have made significant contributions to the college, athletic program, his or her sport, and the students of the college. Wilson is the winningest coach in the school’s history. He went 341-305 in his 25 years as head coach, won three Iowa Conference Championships, and made three trips to the NCAA Tournament. He’s been named the Iowa Coach of the Year three times and was named the Division III West Region Coach of the Year in 1992.  …

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The 5th annual Iowa Miss Amazing Pageant will take place February 17-18, 2017 at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs. This year’s pageant will feature a two-day show with full areas of competition both days. 

Rising Stars, Preteens, Jr. Teens and Teens will participate on Friday, February 17 while Jr. Miss, Miss, Sr. Miss and Shooting Stars will participate on Saturday, February 18. Girls ages 5 and older can participate.

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By Kandy Fisher 

Blaine Fisher of Conrad, IA is a Special Olympics Iowa athlete and Global Messenger and is in the process of opening his own restaurant in his hometown. His restaurant will be called “Blaine’s on Main.”

Blaine will be naming his daily lunch specials after those who have made an impact in his life; his former high school football coaches will have a sandwich called “The Locker Room Slider” and the men in the high school bus barn, who he helped when volunteering, will have “The Bus Barn Burger,” just to name a few.

Eventually, Blaine will hire others with intellectual disabilities and give them a place to learn work and social skills. He will also be selling goods made by those with disabilities in his gift shop. Blaine will be sole owner and proprietor and is selling T-shirts and accepting donations to help with unexpected remodeling costs. The shirts come in sizes Youth L-Adult XL for $15 and 2-3X for $17. …