- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Local athletes to participate in Special Olympics Summer Games
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Four local athletes will be among hundreds participating in the Special Olympics 2012 Summer Games this weekend.
Special Olympics Northern California is hosting the annual competition at the University of California, Davis, which will feature an estimated 900 athletes in events held from Friday, June 22, through Sunday, June 24.
Competitions will include aquatics, bocce, tennis or track and field on the UC Davis campus.
The Summer Games will commence with the lighting of the cauldron, which will be lit with the “Flame of Hope” at the opening ceremonies at Aggie Stadium Friday beginning at 7:30 p.m.
There is no admission fee to watch the opening ceremonies or the competitions.
Cathy Saderlund, Lake County’s volunteer area director, said four Lake County athletes, accompanied by three coaches, will participate in this year’s Summer Games.
Lake County’s Summer Games competitors are four young men who have been training devotedly for several months for the track and field competition, Saderlund said.
They are Clearlake residents Tyler Stiles, 18, and Michael Stevens, 32; Jordan Marquardt, 20, of Lower Lake; and Riley Casler, 25, of Upper Lake, Saderlund said.
In May local athletes took part in a one-day competition in Marin as the run up to the Summer Games, Saderlund said.
Saderlund said Lake County Special Olympics has five sports – basketball, track and field, golf, powerlifting and bowling. Each of the sports run for 12 weeks at different points of the year.
Bowling, one of the most popular local events, has its own one-day competition in November. Then the basketball season will begin.
Saderlund and her husband, Robert – the volunteer sports coordinator – became involved in Special Olympics through their son, Eric, who is now 29.
Around 2000, Lake County split off from Mendocino County, she said.
“We have a very active area,” she said.
Athletes can start training at age 5 and competing when they’re 8 years old. Saderlund said Lake County has athletes in their 60s still competing.
Saderlund said the competition and training is supported solely through local donations. The costs total about $18,000 annually.
They used to run fundraisers throughout the year, but more recently Saderlund said their January “Polar Plunge” has been able to raise enough money to support Lake County Special Olympics for the year. Steve and Peggy Buchholz coordinate the annual plunge.
Each sport has different coaches. Saderlund said Keith and Angela Austin and their son, Jordan, are track and field coaches for the summer events.
Saderlund said they are always looking for volunteers and coaches. Certification and background checks are required for coaching.
“It’s a really awesome experience to work with the athletes,” Saderlund said.
The local program has been so successful that it sent athletes to the World Games in Iowa in 2007, Saderlund said. The athletes who competed were powerlifter Susanna Avila and golfer Eric Saderlund.
Donations can be made year round to Lake County Special Olympics. Saderlund said people can send checks made out to Lake County Special Olympics to P.O. Box 94, Lakeport, CA 95453.
Messages for more information also can be left on the Special Olympics Message Board at 707-262-1269.
For up to date information on the Summer Games, visit www.SummerGamesSO.com .
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