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Day 4
Wednesday 29th July 2009
HIGHCROSS TREATS ATHLETES WITH VIP SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
Tonight’s the night for competitors to relax in retail heaven at Leicester’s Highcross. Athletes, their families and coaches, will be hitting the shops armed with goodie bags filled with discounts and incentives,. Hosting the shopping event will be Heart FM presenters Amy and Dangerous Dave, with street entertainment from stilt walkers, balloon modeler and face painters.
The event kicks off from 6.45pm with welcome speeches from Chair of Special Olympics Leicester Ted Cassidy MBE, Games Director Steve Humphries and Special Olympics Leicester ambassador Manjula Sood.
Steve Humphries, Games Director, commented: “It’s great that the athletes are being treated as VIP guests. They’ve worked hard all week competing and it’s great that they get to relax with their families, carers and supporters to enjoy a night of shopping of entertainment.”
Sporting highlights from day four:
Netball winds up with finals and presentations tomorrow
Chief Executive of the National Space Centre, Paul Clark will be presenting medals to competitors and volunteers tomorrow as the netball competition draws to a close.
The finals see Scotland West play North West in the senior final, Southern take on Scotland West in the junior final, and East Midlands make it into the senior play-off for bronze against Fife.
Regional Manager of English Netball, Hayley Peel said: “Netball’s been really fantastic. It’s been great fun. There is going to be a real buzz around the place tomorrow as the teams fight it out for gold medals.”
East Midlands basketball team shooting for gold
The men’s basketball team from East Midlands caused an upset today by beating bitter rivals West Midlands twice to reach the final. The star of the show was Thomas Taylor, 16, one of the youngest players who scored many great shots to secure their place in the final.
Special Olympics Leicester ambassador Lee Penfold, his team mate, commented: “He has been the star player.”
Talking about the final he added: “We’re going to give it a go. It could go either way but we are going to make East Midlands proud.”
More East Midlands success
In her first appearance at the National Summer Games, East Midlands athlete Kellie Brabham fought her way to success to take a silver medal in Judo at Leicester Leys Leisure Centre today.
After it was announced that Kellie had won, she said: “It feels great! My first silver medal. It’s been a good experience and I’ve used everything I learnt from my club. I’m so proud and all my family are excited. I’m an emotional wreck.”
TORRENTIAL RAIN DOES NOT DAMPEN SPIRITS OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS LEICESTER ATHLETES AND VOLUNTEERS ON DAY FOUR
On the fourth day of competition at Special Olympics GB National Summer Games in Leicester, even the pouring rain did not dampen the spirits of the volunteers and athletes. All of the 21 Olympic style sports proceeded both indoors and outdoors.
The athlete’s Games Village was awash with good spirits and dozens of volunteers in bright orange rain jackets, bright blue umbrellas and silver ‘pom poms’ were dancing and singing in the rain with a local cheerleading group and athletes.
In cycling, a fall didn’t stop Scott Walker 25 taking two Silver medals for the Grampians. Scott took the two Silver medals in the 25k and 10k, which means he now goes into the 15k tomorrow. While battling wind and rain earlier in the week, Scott came off his bike while taking a slippery corner too fast. He got straight back on with no serious injuries.
Scott said: “The atmosphere for the cycling has been good, despite inches of rain and tents blowing away.” Past games experience has been mainly in swimming, where he won many medals at the last National Summer Games in Glasgow, including two Golds.
Last competition for dedicated Special Olympics gymnast Celia Flegg
Celia Flegg from the North West is competing in her final Special Olympics competition at the age of 32 and will leave with over 60 medals – mostly Gold and Silver - to her credit.
Celia, who is severely learning disabled with no speech or communication skills, has been competing for nearly two decades and was one of the first ever Special Olympics rhythmic gymnasts in the country. She will go on to become a Special Olympics coach for younger athletes.
According to coach Jane Whetnall, “Before Special Olympics she could barely walk. It has changed her life. You can imagine that Celia lives in a very lonely world.”
Unfortunately there are no resources to help teach Celia sign language or to buy a simple hand-held communication device.
Adds Whetnall, “Competing with Special Olympics has been her life – her total life!” Today, Celia won two Gold and three Silver to add to her collection.
Jane is also the Academy Director of The Cheshire Academy of Integrated Sport and Arts and was pleased to receive The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. “It was at Buckingham Palace from the Queen,” she smiled.
Another star of the show was young Special Olympics gymnast, Casey Leigh Shard. At 16 years old she has been competing for half her life and is taking part in her third National Summer Games. In 2007 she won a Gold, two Silver and a Bronze medal and received a Bronze medal for the overall competition at the World Summer Games in Shanghai.
“I was third best in the world,” she smiled. Members of the Great Britain gymnastic team were invited to the Uzbekistan National Games last summer and Casey was thrilled to win a perfect 10 “against the Russians,” she boasted proudly. Today Casey won four Golds and one Silver!
In swimming, Greater London swimming athlete, Kate Powell won Silver in her 50m freestyle race earlier today. Kate has won a staggering 145 medals since she began competing in Special Olympics, including a Gold and Bronze at the Glasgow National Summer Games in 2005.
Kate is also due to race twice more this week and has thoroughly enjoyed the Games in Leicester so far.
She said: “I absolutely love the games. My favourite moment was the opening ceremony, especially the athletics parade. Everything has been wonderful; it has been a privilege to take part.”
In athletics, veteran Special Olympics athlete, Tony Clarke 41, raced to Gold today to add to his medal collection from the athletics venue at Saffron Lane Sports Centre.
Tony, from the Greater London region, won Gold in the 50m run. He has already won a Bronze this week in the shot-put but did not manage to get a medal in the standing long jump.
Competing for second time in Leicester, Tony said: "I'm really happy with how I did today."
Tony has been competing in Special Olympics for 20 years now and has gained over 60 medals in that time.
NEWS FROM TENNIS
Its day four already! We have seen two days of exciting competition.
All players are participating in a round robin of mens & ladies singles, doubles and mixed doubles which sees each player playing every competitor within their division. World gold medalist Zara Jurenko, who celebrates her 22nd birthday today, is currently undefeated in this tournament.
To add to the excitement, Councillors Newcombe and Naylor; and Special Olympics chair Ted Cassidy MBE all dropped by to meet and greet the athletes. Additionally, a distinguished guest commented on how “fabulous all the volunteers were”. Today there is a tennis clinic underway, in which players as well as having fun are honing in their skills to further their success in this tournament. The tournament itself really hots up tomorrow with crucial matches being played, and the tension mounts for Friday’s fantastic finale.
HISTORY OF SOGB BOOK ON SALE FROM MERCHANDISE TRAILER AND ONLINE
To celebrate Leicester becoming the first city in Britain to host the National Summer Games of Special Olympics Great Britain on two occasions (1989 and 2009), Leicester City Council, Special Olympics GB and the city's two universities have collaborated in the production of a unique book which charts the history of the Games.
Entitled A Sporting Chance: The History of Special Olympics Great Britain, this important new book of 92 pages is a full-colour record, crammed with photographs and interesting facts, covering the development of Special Olympics in Britain since 1978.
NEW VIDEO AVAILABLE TO VIEW
As part of the AOP¹s involvement with the Opening Eyes part of the Healthy Athletes part of the Special Olympics 09, Tenal Publishing have made a short piece on the work of Optometrists at the event.
You can see the video by clicking on the following link:
http://bit.ly/hzfcd
LOCAL NEWSPAPER DISPLAYING IMAGES FROM THE GAMES
The Leicester Mercury is keen to publicise the fact its website has a slideshow with all of the latest images from the National Summer Games.
Click here to access the slideshow: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/SoLslideshow.html
For all the latest results from the 2009 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games, click here
