January 2016 Newsletter - Special Olympics of Colorado

4/19/2016
January News
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It's Your Turn. Get in the Game.
2016 Winter Season.
2016 Special Olympics Colorado Polar Plunge
Series presented by Westerra Credit Union
Expands to Six Locations
Special Olympics Colorado kicks off its 7th annual Polar Plunge Series
in February with two new locations. Our largest Polar Plunge, the
Denver Splash and Dash, is moving to an exciting new location ‐ the
Denver Zoo, while the 5K Run/Walk will remain at Denver's City Park,
ending just outside the zoo. Help us celebrate International Polar
Bear Day on February 27.
Polar Plunge events will be held at Lake Pueblo (Feb. 6), Aurora Reservoir (Feb. 20), Horsetooth
Reservoir in Ft. Collins (Feb. 20), Denver Zoo/Denver City Park (Feb. 27), Prospect Lake at Memorial
Park in Colorado Springs (Feb. 27), and Boulder Reservoir (March 5).
Come out to enjoy one of Colorado's favorite traditions and support our athletes!
Registration Open for 2016 Polar Plunges!
Special Olympics Colorado Athletes
Become First Reporters with Down
Syndrome at Local News Station
Special Olympics Colorado athletes Hanna Atkinson
and Connor Long are a reporting duo helping
deliver weekly stories for ABC‐affiliate Denver7 in a
new series about the many Special Olympics
Colorado athletes, Unified partners (competitors
without disabilities), volunteers, coaches, law
enforcement, and families who have been
positively impacted through their involvement
with Special Olympics. The weekly segment airs
Saturday mornings at 8 am MT.
Hanna & Connor reporting from Copper Mountain
"Through our exciting partnership with Denver7, Coloradans will be able to witness firsthand
the power of inclusive sports and the tremendous abilities of our athletes," says Mindy Watrous,
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Special Olympics Colorado president and CEO. "Thanks to Denver7 for championing a welcoming
and accepting world for all children and adults, regardless of their differences." Check out a few of our initial stories:
Mai Lin Hegel
Austin Shepard
Vince Sanchez
Hanna Atkinson
Connor Long
Vote for Tad Boyle/SOCO and Vote
often!
That's how we will stay in the game. As of today,
Tad is 16th on the leaderboard. Our goal is to
break into the Top 10 by Saturday. Can you help
us get there by voting today? It's free, easy, and
quick. Go to espn.com, register your email
address, if you don't have an acct, and go
to espn.com/infiniti to vote.
You can vote once a day through Sunday, January
24 (11:59 am) to help get Tad past the first
round and SOCO earning $7,500.
Colorado Sports Hall of Fame to Honor SOCO
athlete Nikia Davenport
A big shoutout to SOCO athlete and 2015 Special Olympics
World Games gold medalist in powerlifting, Nikia
Davenport, who was announced today as the recipient of
Colorado Sports Hall of Fame's 2015 Athlete with
Disabilities Award! Also to be honored at the April 19th
CSHOF Induction and Awards Banquet are: Colorado
Rockies Third Baseman Nolan Arenado (Professional
Nikia with his mom, Freda Davenport, who is
Athlete of the Year) and Stanford University Running
also a long‐time SOCO employee.
Back Christian McCaffrey (Amateur Athlete of the Year),
and Colorado collegiate standouts Wesley Berg of the
University of Denver (men's lacrosse) and Adrianna Culbert of Colorado State University (volleyball),
high school honorees Paul Roberts of Lyons HS (boys cross country) and Mallory Pugh of Mountain
Vista HS (girls soccer) as athletes of the year. The 2016 Class of inductees: Vinny Castilla, Milan
Hejduk, Jim Danley, Ralph Simpson, Rhonda Blanford‐Green and Jim Toupal.
Students Get Free Sports Physicals
Last month, SOCO hosted three clinics where students received free
health physicals and screenings. The clinics were open to Denver
Public School District students and over 150 students from seven
different schools attended over the course of three days. The
volunteer medical professionals who participated came from a
number of backgrounds including fire fighters, athletic trainers,
medical students, nurse practitioners, and physicians.
To become involved as a medical volunteer at either Healthy
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Athletes screenings (vision, hearing, orthopedics, dental, general
health) or at our competitions, please contact Emilie Ricker for
further information.
Cody Field Selected to Compete at X Games in Aspen Cody will again compete in the Special Olympics Unified
Snowboarding Races as part of the X Games on January 28
in Aspen. The 10 Special Olympics athletes competing
are coming from 8 states in the U.S., Norway and
Germany. X Games and Olympic Snowboard SuperPipe gold
Cody Field, 2013 Special Olympics World Games
medalist Hannah Teter will again be part of the line‐up
gold medalist
along with other Olympic medalists and professional
athletes participating in the race such as Olympic Snowboard medalist Jamie Anderson. Hannah and
Cody first met at the 2013 World Games in S. Korea, and the two gold medalists have had a chance
to snowboard together in Aspen each of the past two years.
Colorado Gives Day a Great Success!
Thank you to each of the 351 generous donors who contributed to Special Olympics Colorado on
Colorado Gives Day. You are helping make a difference for our 19,600+ athletes and their families. Annual State Winter Games Around the
Corner
The annual State Winter Games is just weeks away and
our athletes and coaches are out training hard now to
prepare for one of our biggest statewide competitions.
Our snow sports (alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross
country skiing and snow shoe) will compete on Sunday,
February 28 at Copper Mountain for the 28th consecutive
year. The hill events will again be held on Carefree, Easy
Snowshoe is one of six Winter Games sports.
Feeling, Scooter, and Copperopolis. The snow shoe
competitions will be at the South Course, while the Cross Country Skiing and select Snow Shoe
events will be at the North Course. All three locations are accessible via a shuttle bus from the
Alpine Lot. The Victory Dance and Talent Show will be at 4:45 p.m. in the Convention Center and
the Athlete Parade begins at 6:15 p.m. in Center Village (ends at Burning Stone Plaza). The Closing
Ceremonies and Torchlight Parade begins at 6:25 p.m., followed by the amazing fireworks show at
6:45 p.m.
If you or a group are interested in volunteering for Winter Games Snow Sports, please visit the State
Winter Games ‐ Snow Sports event page.
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The skating events for Winter Games will again be hosted at the South Suburban Ice Arena. This
year's events are Saturday morning, March 5. Stay tuned for more details. Spectators are welcome
at all events, free of charge. Visit the State Winter Games ‐ Skating event page for more details.
14th Annual Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball
Join us for a festive evening on Saturday, March 5 as we benefit the
athletes and programs of Special Olympics Colorado at the Renaissance
Denver Hotel.
Visit the Mardi Gras event page to purchase tickets online and learn
more about sponsorship opportunities.
For questions regarding tickets information, sponsorship opportunities
and special hotel rates, contact Freda Davenport or call 720.359.3114.
Financial Tip presented by Westerra Credit Union
Westerra Credit Union is dedicated to helping individuals take the next step in their financial fitness
journey. What would you do with an extra $100, $300 or $500 a month? Take a vacation, build up your
emergency savings account, or pay off debt? Schedule a free financial checkup on Westerra.com to
see where we can help save you money and get your finances in shape. When you complete your 30
minute financial checkup, Westerra will give you a free Fitbit Flex™ to help you get physically fit,
too!*
Limited time offer. One Fibit Flex™ per completed financial review. Must be 21 or older to participate. Fitbit Flex
is valued at $99.95. Value will be reported to the IRS as required by law. Fitbit is not a participant in or sponsor of
this promotion. Westerra is federally insured by NCUA.
Easy Way to Give ‐ Check it Off!
Here is another easy way to give to Special Olympics Colorado!
When you file your 2015 taxes, on Colorado's Tax Form you will
have the opportunity to donate to SOCO. The process is super
easy and we hope you will consider making a gift. Every bit
counts... if at least 10,000 tax payers contributed $10 each,
SOCO earns $100,000. That's an incredible and much needed
funding as we expand our programs for our current athletes
and recruit new athletes. Please consider checking off SOCO
SOCO athele Mai‐Lin Hegel has been
on your Colorado Tax Form this season! (The option is available
employed by Holland & Hart for 15 years
when you file electronically and on hard copy forms.)
and gives to SOCO on her tax return.
Upcoming Signature SOCO Events
Date
Event
Date
Event
2/4‐5
Southeast & Western Winter
Games
2/28
State Winter Games ‐ Snow Sports
2/6
Mile High Skating
Championships
3/5
Polar Plunge ‐ Boulder
Polar Plunge ‐ Pueblo
3/5
State Winter Games ‐ Skating
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2/8
Tri‐Region Winter Games
3/5
2/20
Polar Plunge ‐ Aurora
3/11‐13 State Basketball Games
Polar Plunge ‐ Ft. Collins
6/10‐12 State Summer Games
2/27
Mardi Gras
Polar Plunge ‐ Colorado Springs 7/25
Annual SOCO VIP Golf Tournament
Presented by FirstBank Polar Plunge ‐ Denver Splash &
Dash
8/13
Plane Pull
8/27
State Summer Classic
Special Olympics Colorado Annual Partners
Gold Level
Silver Level
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Bronze Level
In Kind
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Special Olympics Colorado | 384 Inverness Pkwy, Suite 100, Englewood, CO 80112
720.359.3100 | SpecialOlympicsCO.org
STAY CONNECTED:
, 384 Inverness Parkway, Suite 100, Englewood, CO 80112
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