Special Olympics New York Western Region: Special Olympics Western Region Program Report

*The athletic departmment has gladly given Special Olympics a number of tickets to the Bonnies Basketball game vs. Princeton the evening of the 6th. If anyone would like tickets please let me know.

Get Files Online!

Need a roster? Need a new medical/consent form? Find many of the forms needed on the new online file folder. Here you can download forms. Click on the picture to the right and it will take you to the website. If you think of a form that would be useful to have available please notify Shelby.

Make sure you bookmark the webpage!

Winter Games Quotas are in!

It's time to start thinking about who you want to take to the Winter Games in Rochester in February! Demand Case Surveys are due December 10th. Athletes cannot participate in Winter Games if this survey is not returned to the Regional office. Depending on how many spots Western Region is allocated will determine how many athletes get to go to Winter Games. The Demand Case Survey can be found on our new ONLINE FOLDER!

Are you a Leader?

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We are looking for some people to become an Event Director of a few competitions. We would help you through the process in coordinating the event. Contact Shelby Baker if you would like more information on possibly being an Event Director. It's a great chance to become more involved and help make the magic happen.

Forms Submission

Please submit any med/consent forms/volunteer applications/sport certification applications/check requests to the Western Region office. This way I can make copies to have on file to submit to the head office.

World Games Athletes

Wish our New York Wold Games athletes good luck as the travel to Colorado this week for Training Camp!

Submitting Rosters

Please take note of the new Roster submission procedure:

At the beginning of each season, each training club is required to fill out a team roster including coach and athlete information. This allows us to keep more organized and know what training clubs and what coaches/athletes are participating each season. I understand that there are many training clubs that participate in more than one season and use the same athletes. If this is the case, please let the Program Director know at the beginning of the season and the previous roster will be used. This can only be used if the training club is using the same athletes and coaches as a previous season.

ROSTERS CAN NOW BE FOUND ON THE ONLINE FILE FOLDER

Future Events

Western South Snowshoeing             Tuesday January 13, 2009
Western South X Country Skiing       Saturday, January 17, 2009
Western Central Senior Bowling        Sunday, January 18, 2009
Upstate Winter Skating Classic          Sunday January 18, 2009
Western South Floor Hockey             Saturday, January 24, 2009

Western South Iceskating Tuesday, January 26, 2009

Western North Floor Hockey January, 2009 (Date not determined)

More information including registrations and deadlines will become available closer to the event.

Fundraising Opportunities

Western Region's Polar Plunge took place on Saturday, November 22nd. It was a HUGE success! Over 300 people took the plunge... don't miss out next year!

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Do you know a young future Special Olympics Athlete?

Young Athletes

Western Region currently does not have any Young Athletes Programs established! Help start a program!

About Young Athletes
Young Athletes introduces children with intellectual disabilities and their families to the world of Special Olympics by pursuing the following goals:

*Engage children with intellectual disabilities through developmentally appropriate play activities designed to foster physical, cognitive, and social development;

*Welcome family members of children with intellectual disabilities to the Special Olympics network of support;

*Raise awareness about the abilities of children with intellectual disabilities through inclusive peer participation, demonstrations and other events.

Young Athletes is a versatile program that can work in various learning situations. The program is designed for families to play with their young athletes at home in a fun atmosphere. It is also appropriate for preschools, schools and playgroups to use with small groups of young children with and without intellectual disabilities. The flexibility of Young Athletes ensures the opportunity to welcome families and their young children into the Special Olympics family.

The Young Athletes program includes several resources to guide family members, educators and other professionals as they conduct Young Athletes activities with their children, brothers, sisters, cousins, grandchildren, students or patients.

For more information on how to get started email Shelby Baker at sbaker@nyso.org