MARCH 2018 kent area sports update

SPRING SPORTS Please remember that all athletes must have a current Special Olympics medical form on file at the SODE office before practicing/training. All Class A volunteers must also be current with their certification by that time. The deadline date to sign up for Spring Sports is by Friday, April 13, 2018.

Softball: Softball training will be held on Sundays starting April 8 Time: 1:00-3:00pm Location: Caesar Rodney High School To register for Softball, please contact John Blanchfield at [email protected].

Swimming: Swimming training will be starting April 6 Fridays from 7:00 - 9:00pm Sundays from 1:00 - 3:00pm Young Athletes Program (YAPs) swimming will be held Sundays from 2:00 - 3:00pm Location: Dover YMCA To register for Swimming, Kathy Denny at [email protected].

Tennis: training will be held on Thursdays starting April 13 Time: 6:00 - 7:00pm Location: Polytech High School tennis courts To register for Tennis, please contact Merry Jones at [email protected].

Bocce: Bocce training will be held on Tuesdays starting April 3 Location: Schutte Park in Dover Time: 6:00pm To register, please contact Joe Wood at [email protected].

Track and Field: Track and Field practice dates - to be announced Location: Caesar Rodney High School track Time: TBA To register for Track & Field, please contact Mike Lewis at [email protected].

Young Athletes Spring Program: Young Athletes Spring Program will be Wednesdays starting April 11 through May 30 Location: Charlton School Time: 5:00 - 6:00pm To register for the Young Athletes spring program, please contact Stephanie Lewis at [email protected]. SODE MID-SEASON TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE EVENT DATE LOCATION WILMINGTON MID-SEASON SWIM MEET Sun., April 8 & May 6 Walnut Street YMCA

NEWARK & MOT MID-SEASON SWIM MEET Sat., April 21 UD Natatorium (Carpenter Sports Bldg.)

KENT MID-SEASON SWIM MEET Sun., April 22 Dover YMCA - time TBD

TRACK AND FIELD MID-SEASON (All areas) Sat., April 28 Caesar Rodney High School track

SOFTBALL MID-SEASON (All areas) Sun., April 29 Schutte Park, Dover

SUSSEX MID-SEASON SWIM MEET Sun., April 29 Sussex Family YMCA

KENT & SUSSEX BOCCE MID-SEASON Sat., May 5 Turf Sports Complex MOT, NEWARK & WILMINGTON BOCCE Sun., May 6 UD Athletic Complex MID-SEASON TENNIS MID-SEASON (All areas) Sun., May 6 Middletown HS

POWERLIFTING MID-SEASON (All areas) Sun., May 6 Crossfit Dover

THANK YOU, ATHLETES! A quick note of thanks to all the athletes who completed “thank you” notecards and who donated their medals last month at the Bowling tournaments! With your help, we were able to collect dozens of thank you notes and enough medals to say “thank you” to our donors for the year. We are champions together!

LANYARDS RECYCLING Starting at the State Tournament and Summer Games, we will have lanyard collection stations for those who would like to donate previously worn lanyards. Please consider dropping off your lanyard so that we can re-use them and save on costs throughout the year. Thank you!

BE A COACH!

Special Olympics is always in need of new volunteers to help run each sport successfully and provide our athletes with a fantastic experience. Please know that by no means do you need to be an expert in a given sport to volunteer. We have outstanding head coaches who simply need people who are interested in helping our athletes orchestrate successful training sessions and competitions and grow as individuals.

We need coaches in the following spring sports in preparation for our 2018 Summer Games: Swimming, Bocce, Powerlifting, Softball, Tennis and Track & Field. If you’ve always wanted to coach for Special Olympics and would like to be a part of our upcoming Summer Games -or- if you are interested in helping out as a volunteer in another capacity, please contact: Carly Thompson at [email protected]

AREA DIRECTOR: DAVE MANWILLER • [email protected] • 302-233-8018 EVENT INFORMATION 1,000 bikes maximum​ Ride to Departing from Rommel Harley- Davidson in Smyrna to Jake’s Seafood, Rt. 1 in Rehoboth (55 miles with law enforcement escort) the Tide 9:30 am check-in, with departure at 11:30 am Pre-Registration fee: $25/rider, $15/passenger Sunday, April 22 (After April 1 the fee is $30/Rider; $20/Passenger) Event Rain Date: Sunday April 29, 2018 The Delaware Blue Knights - Chapter 1 organizes this Law Enforcement fundraising event -- sponsored by Delmarva Power and supported by Jakes Seafood House, WBOC-16, Rommel Harley-Davidson, Delmarva Broadcasting Company, and Fox 21 Delmarva-- involving hundreds of motorcycles taking part in a police-escorted ride from Smyrna to Rehoboth Beach, in support of Special Olympics Delaware. For registration information, please visit our website at www.sode.org. Register today- event is limited to the first 1,000 bikes! SODE athletes are welcome to help as greeters at the Rommel Harley-Davidson in Smyrna. Athletes can help thank the Ride to the Tide participants as they depart from Smyrna to Rehoboth Beach. A “thank you” brigade of SODE athletes take part in helping greet riders athletes and families will line the exit area. Please email at Ride to the Tide Ruth Coughlan at [email protected] if you would like to come and show your support.

DARE TO GO OVER THE EDGE on THURSDAY, MAY 10! RAPPEL FOR A CAUSE!

Do you have what it takes to rappel 17 stories down a high-rise building? You know you can do it - dare to go Over the Edge! When you go Over the Edge, you help to raise funds to support our athletes, enabling them to take part in valuable Special Olympics sports programs all year long. For the fourth straight year, the event will be livestreamed so that supporters from all over the country can watch you rappel in real-time! There are also several opportunities to make it fun! - Rally your co-workers to “Toss your Boss” Over the Edge - Catapult a co-worker - Propel a pal - Fling a family member - Toss a teacher - Cast your coach -OR- 2017 Edger, Matthew Marsh, went - Choose somebody else to go Over the Edge for a minimum of Over the Edge for his niece, SODE Athlete Victoria Marsh $1,100! The possibilities are endless! No prior rappelling experience is required. All rappel participants will be treated like VIPs while supporters cheer them on during their thrilling descent. And all proceeds go to benefit the 4,000 athletes of Special Olympics Delaware. Don’t wait a second longer ... go to WWW.SODE.ORG to register!

AREA DIRECTOR: DAVE MANWILLER • [email protected] • 302-233-8018 Special Olympics Summer Camp applications are available Special Olympics Delaware’s overnight Sports Camp is a three-day, two-night camp featuring sports training, traditional camp activities and socialization held at Camp Barnes, located near Bethany Beach in southern Delaware. Camp is offered to all qualified Special Olympics Delaware athletes. Athletes may apply for acceptance into ONLY 1 of the 2 following camps: SESSION 1: Saturday, August 4– Monday, August 6 SESSION 2: Sunday, August 12 – Tuesday, August 14 The recommended minimum age for attending camp is 13 years old. Applications are being considered now for both camps. Space at both camps is limited and a completed application does not mean acceptance into camp. Please visit sode.org to download an application or call 302-831-4653 to have an application mailed to your home.

Is your medical information updated? Every Special Olympic athlete must have a current medical form (physical) before practicing/training in any sport. All participating athletes must have a current physical on file with our Special Olympics office before training sessions begin for safety reasons. Forms are good for 3 years from the date of the medical professional’s signature and must be updated before expiring. **Please remember ... Young Athletes must complete and submit a medical form before their 8th birthday in order to continue to train and compete in SODE sports programs. Thank you!

All Special Olympics Delaware athletes are invited to participate with University of Delaware student athletes in a FIELD DAY Hosted by the UD Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) ursday, MAY 3, 2018 6:00 - 9:00pm

UNIV. OF DELAWARE GRANT STADIUM (Behind football stadium)

fun & games refreshments field day activities please rsvp online at https://tinyurl.com/2018FieldDay or call SPECIAL OLYMPICS DELAWARE at 302.831.4653

STUDENT ATHLETE ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAAC)