Special Olympics Maine will send a delegation of 43 athletes and coaches to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle.
The USA Games, which are held every four years, will be held July 1-6. More than 4,000 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will descend on the region.
Team Maine will be represented by teams competing in aquatics, athletics, soccer, golf, bocce and bowling. The athletes have been training for weeks with their respective teams and are set to come together Friday and Saturday for training camp at Camp Tall Pines in Poland.
The Special Olympics USA Games is a national sports competition that showcases the power and joy of sports at the highest levels.
Previous host cities include Ames, Iowa (2006), Lincoln, Nebraska (2010) and Lawrenceville, New Jersey (2014).
In all, 14 sports will be offered including swimming, flag football and soccer. More than 10,000 volunteers will be recruited to help put on the Games and more 10,000 family members and friends and 70,000 spectators are expected to attend.
In addition to showcasing the abilities of thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities, the 2018 USA Games in Seattle will model the ideals of inclusion and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics movement.
Special Olympics is a year-round sports training and competition program for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Maine serves over 4,300 athletes and offers 75 events per year in 18 Olympic-Style sports.
In addition to the Team Maine athletes and coaches, Special Olympics Maine will also be sending an athlete, a Unified Partner and chaperone to attend a Unified Youth Experience during the Games to discuss ways of furthering inclusion in schools: The Youth Experience participants are Kaitlin Dixon, Unified Partner, and Dalton Way, Special Olympic Maine athlete, both from Carrabec High School of North Anson, and chaperone/Mentor Mary Redman Luce of Mt. Blue High School in Farmington.
The athletes and coaches attending the Games are: swimming — Cailynn Goss, Hampden; Grace Giles, Boothbay; Zachary Ewing, Hampden and Danny Miller, Boothbay; with coaches Sandra Hebert, Dixfield and Robin Mendenhall, Bangor; track and field — Jennifer Johnson, Orono; Megan Rosenberg, Brunswick; Lucas Houk, Portland; and Sage Turmelle, Waterville; with coaches Jeff Bosse, Milford and Toby LeConte, Boothbay; and soccer — Kala Emery, Lewiston; Valerie Giles, Boothbay; Della Lippincott, Lewiston; Josh Costain, Hampden; Harold Flood, Hampden; Zachary Conley, Auburn; Todd Morin, Minot and Brian Richards, Auburn; with coaches Rhonda Lausier, South Paris and Krista Wotherspoon, New Gloucester.
Also: bocce — Caitlyn Gunn, Bangor; Cassandra Mattia, Dixfield; Chris Oster, Stetson; Stephen Costello, Orono; Amanda Ludden (unified partner), Levant; and Andrea Lee (unified partner), Bangor; with coach Wendy Gilbert, Bradley; bowling — Madison Mooers, Hampden; Ashley Stasulis, Lewiston; Brandon Mullen, Lewiston; Dennis Plourde, Hampden; Fred Cummings (unified partner), Otisfield; Sue Uhlenhake (unified partner), Brewer; and coach Duane Hall, Brewer; golf — Travis Curtis, Montville; Heather Wheaton (caddie), Bangor; and coach Brian Lee, Bangor.
Follow BDN Maine Sports on Facebook for the latest in Maine high school and college sports.