About 800 Special Olympic athletes vied for Northern California Championship titles June 27-28 during the 14th annual Summer Games at The University of California, Davis. The mercury topped 110 degrees on the second day of competition, but that didn’t stop athletes of all ages and abilities from competing for gold in aquatics, bocce ball, tennis, and track and field.
This year’s Summer Games came in the midst of challenging times for Special Olympics Northern California - the 2009 Winter Games was cancelled due to a shortfall in revenue. But because of individual and corporate support and the UC Davis community, the 2009 Summer Games was another stellar event with more than 3,000 in attendance.
“UC Davis went above and beyond,” said Kirsten Cherry, Vice President of Public Relations and Communications for Special Olympics. “They not only provided fantastic competition facilities, but their staff pitched in after hours at no charge, and they provided some services completely gratis. We felt very welcome in the Davis community.”
The Summer Games is the largest Special Olympics event held in Northern California each year. All athletes returned home winners after a weekend of intense competition, fun and a chance to experience a little college life at The University of California, Davis. Traveling from 32 counties in Northern California, athletes had to qualify in regional competitions before being selected to represent their delegation at the Summer Games.
Another highlight of the evening was the culmination of the Law Enforcement Torch Run. More than 500 law enforcement personnel ran the torch 700 miles in Northern California to its destination at UC Davis. They presented a check in the amount of $889,263 to Special Olympics Northern California CEO Rick Collett and Board Member Chuck Taylor, Vice President of Chevron Corp.
The Games officially kicked off Friday night with an Opening Ceremony that featured a parade of athletes, the Aggie Band and special visitors Davis Mayor Ruth Asmundson and UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef .
Five athletes had the honor of being the final torch bearers and lighting the caldron. They included Special Olympics athletes Jeffrey Brown (Yuba/Colusa Counties), Curtis Kanazawa (Santa Clara County), Zachare Kleinman (Contra Costa County) and Brian Reioux (Yolo County). The games were declared “officially open” by Chuck Taylor, Special Olympics Board Member and Vice President of Chevron Corp.
Our Sponsors
The 2009 Northern California Special Olympics Summer Games is sponsored by AT&T, WalMart, Kaiser Permanente, Nella Oil, Safeway, Chevron Corp, MedeAnalytics, Adobe, Tesoro and the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Our media sponsors include iLoop Mobile, KLOVE radio and Comcast SportsNet.
About Special Olympics Northern California
Special Olympics Northern California is a free year-round sports training and competition program for children and adults with developmental disabilities. More than 13,000 athletes compete in over 170 competitions throughout the region in 15 sports. Find out how you can be a fan and visit www.SONC.org
Upcoming Athlete Events
| Regional Golf Competitions | July 20, The Villages Golf and Country Club, | |||||
| San Jose | ||||||
| July 27, Haggin Oaks Golf Course, | ||||||
| 3645 Fulton Ave, Sacramento | ||||||
| Regional Softball Competitions | Aug. 22-23, Freedom Park, Sacramento | |||||
| Aug. 29-30, Heather Farms, Walnut Creek | ||||||
| Aug. 29-30, Blackburn -Talley Sports Complex, | ||||||
| Yuba City | ||||||
| Regional Soccer Competitions | Sept. 17-18, Cherry Island Soccer Complex, | |||||
| Rio Lindo | ||||||
Upcoming Fundraisers
| Olympic Club Golf Tournament | Sept. 21, Olympic Club, Daly City | |||
| Reach for the Gold Season Gala | Nov. 13, Four Seasons Hotel, | |||
| San Francisco |
Contacts:
Special Olympics
Kirsten Cherry, 925-944-0594 ext. 220
Cell:
925-818-0217
kirstenc@sonc.org
