Raleigh, NC – In just one month, four Special Olympics North Carolina athletes (Stephanie Jamie of Advance, Zach Butler of Raleigh, Katie Carter and Rory Kinane of Charlotte) will join the 210 members of Special Olympics Team USA for the first time in historic Lake Placid, New York for Special Olympics Team USA’s official training camp, prior to their participation in the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games in the Republic of Korea. The Games will take place Jan. 29 – Feb. 5, 2013. Special Olympics Team USA is comprised of 151 athletes, 44 coaches, four medical personnel, and management team members from throughout the United States.
In preparation for the World Winter Games, athletes, coaches and other members of Special Olympics Team USA will attend a training camp in Albany and Lake Placid, New York, Dec. 10-14. The training camp will be the first time the Special Olympics Team USA delegation will be together prior to the 2013 World Winter Games. The camp will offer a variety of team building activities and sport-specific training in Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowshoeing, Speed Skating, Figure Skating, Floor Hockey and Floor Ball demonstration; all held at facilities used during the Olympics and current national and international competitions, including the Olympic Training Center. The camp will also include special events set at such historic venues as the Olympic speed skating oval and Herb Brooks Arena, home to the legendary 1980 “Miracle on Ice” hockey game between the US and Soviet Union.
North Carolina will be represented in the Republic of Korea and at the Special Olympics Team USA training camp by the following (bios are linked):
Alpine Skiing Figure Skating
Stephanie Jamie of Davie County (Advance) Katie Carter of Mecklenburg County (Charlotte)
Snowboarding Speed Skating
Zach Butler of Wake County (Raleigh) Rory Kinane of Mecklenburg County (Charlotte)
Also attending the training camp are the following: Catherine “Tappie” Dellinger of Indian Trail, figure skating coach for Special Olympics Team USA; Jake Harkey of Concord, Alpine skiing coach for Special Olympics Team USA; Andrea Stamm of Cary, ice skating sports manager; Dr. Tim Taft of Chapel Hill, medical staff for Special Olympics Team USA.
“Our Special Olympics Team USA-NC delegation is about to embark on a very memorable experience in the Republic of Korea,” said Keith L. Fishburne, Special Olympics NC president/CEO. “I’m excited they will get to practice and bond with their fellow Special Olympics Team USA members in such a historic setting. It should be an inspiring training camp.”
The 10th Special Olympics World Winter Games will bring nearly 3,300 athletes from 112 countries together in PyeongChang and Gangneung, Republic of Korea, the same site where the 2018 Winter Olympics will be held. More than 15,000 family, friends, volunteers and spectators are also expected to attend. Athletes will compete in seven Olympic-type sports: alpine skiing, cross country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, short track speed skating, figure skating, floor hockey and the demonstration sport of floor ball.
For more information on Special Olympics Team USA:
Website: www.specialolympicsteamusa.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SOTeamUSA
Twitter: @SOTeamUSA
Find additional World Games information at http://www.2013sopoc.org/hb/en
About Special Olympics North Carolina
Special Olympics North Carolina offers year-round sports training and competition for more than 38,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. These athletes inspire greatness through their success and provide motivation to the thousands of coaches, sports officials, local program committee members and event organizers involved in Special Olympics statewide. SONC offers Olympic-type competition in 19 sports on local and state levels. Visit Special Olympics North Carolina at www.specialolympicsnc.com. Engage with us on http://twitter.com/sonc_beafan; http://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsNC and http://www.youtube.com/BeAFanSONC.
About Special Olympics World Games
Every two years, the world transcends the boundaries of geography, nationality, political philosophy, gender, age, culture and religion to come together the Special Olympics World Games. Alternating between summer and winter Games, this event is the flagship event of the Special Olympics movement, which promotes equality, tolerance and acceptance around the world. More than 4 million Special Olympics athletes train and compete in more than 170 nations across the globe.
The Special Olympics World Games features challenging and inspiring international competition among thousands of athletes, making it the world’s second-largest sports event, after the Olympic Games. The culmination of years of athletic training and competition, the World Games bring together adults and children with intellectual disabilities to compete on the world’s great athletic stages.
Today, Special Olympics offers athletes 32 Olympic-type sports including seven winter sports: alpine skiing, cross country skiing, figure skating, short track speed skating, snowboarding, snowshoeing, floor hockey, and demo sport floorball.
