Area Game entries, Photo with Rowdy and more . . .

Our next practice is Tuesday July 24th and some of you will be attending the YMCA Aquatic center naming ceremony that morning.  We are not clear on whether we will have pool space on July 31st.  There is a very large swim meet going on and parking will be difficult.  We may be able to work out some time in the teaching pool.  I will blog if we do get time on July 31st.

NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR SPECIAL OLYMPIC ATHLETES – TRIATHLON TRAINING

PLEASE REVIEW THIS MEMO FROM THE STATE OFFICE

ALL INTERESTED ATHLETES/PARENTS MUST CONTACT HECTOR TORRES DIRECTLY  TO EXPRESS AN INTEREST IN THIS PROGRAM321-443-0073.

We are so excited that we have athletes who are interested in training and competing in this sport. It is also very encouraging to hear that some of our athletes are already training/competing outside of SOFL. We would love to grow this sport within our organization to give more athletes and unified partners the opportunity to be challenged. In an effort to grow, we have partnered with Hector Torres and Wynne McFarlin. Hector is a Central Florida triathlete and coach who holds a Masters degree in Sport and Fitness and has an incredible amount of experience training and competing in this sport. Wynne is a Special Olympics supporter and a seasoned triathlete having competed all over the world. Throughout this pilot program you will have the opportunity to learn from both Wynne and Hector. We are very fortunate to have their support on this journey!

Here is information about how this pilot program will function. Below you will find a timeline and some other important information.

Timeline:

• Throughout June and July- Athletes, UPs, coaches meet with Hector for an assessment.

o   This will allow Hector to assess the athletes’ current progress and will provide him the necessary information to build workout programs for each Unified Pair.

o   We can schedule these appointments with Hector for you. Will just need to understand the availability.

• September 8, 2018- Attend a Sprint Triathlon in Clermont.

o   The purpose of this will be for our athletes to attend a race as spectators to better understand the format, etc.

• October 20, 2018- Athletes and Unified Partners will compete in a sprint triathlon in Clermont. We will have a separate SOFL division within this race.

Important things to consider:

• We are requiring athletes to compete with Unified Partners. We have connected with several triathletes in the Central FL area who are extremely willing and excited to participate as Unified Partners if needed.
• Coaches- we are strongly encouraging County Programs to recruit coaches and Unified Partners who are knowledgeable about Triathlon.
• Commitment- Triathlon is a sport that requires a great deal of training. We want to ensure that our athletes are fully prepared to commit to this training.
• Begin training now! As the dates depicted in the timeline above approach, we are encouraging athletes and UPs to begin training now. Until more structured workouts are provided, athletes should be swimming, cycling and running to build a base.

 

Athlete Bios: In order to help Hector become familiar with our athletes, we are asking that you provide a short bio for each athletes. This should include the athlete’s name, county, age, sports competed in, and a description of any involvement in this sport.