Golf Registration Remains Open
Registration for our Golf program this summer (Skills and Levels 2-5) is still open. The deadlines to register for Levels 2-5 is June 18th and for Skills is June 25th. (There is currently a waitlist for Skills.) CLICK HERE to register.
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Join Us at the Yard - Let's Go O's!!
Join us for Special Olympics Howard County day at Camden Yards on Saturday, July 13th at 4:05, when the Orioles will play the Yankees. Tickets are first come, first served so don't wait to purchase your ticket(s); cost is $36 each. (Section 79 Rows 5 -10) To order your tickets, contact the office at 410-740-0500. Payment must be received by June 15. (Checks made out to Special Olympics Howard County or pay over the phone via credit card.) Note that parking is not included and chaperones are not provided. (Individuals who raised $1,500 for the Inspiration Walk by May 25th have been notified that they are eligible for two tickets.)
| Howard County Law Enforcement Torch Run |
On May 31st, five Howard County athletes got deputized by our Howard County Law Enforcement community before the start of the Torch Run at Western Regional Park.
Ory Docal - Howard County Police Department
Kimberly Holfelder - Howard County Sheriff's Office
Nick Leith - State's Attorney's Office
Marcus Lesho - Howard County Department of Corrections
Jennifer Wright - Maryland State Police
Additional photos of the event can be found here.
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Spring Sports Round Up
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Bocce
For the last 3 years, SOHO has competed in back-to-back Bocce Qualifiers with Montgomery County here in Howard County and then in Montgomery County.
This year, the SOHO Qualifier was on Saturday, May 18th and the SOMO Qualifier was on Sunday, May 19th. Forty-four Athletes and Unified Partners competed at Cedar Lane Park. Even playing in the rain, everyone seemed to enjoy playing together. Thankfully on Sunday in Montgomery County, it was a much nicer day for the 200 athletes that were competing. Our Athletes and Unified Players always enjoy competing in Montgomery County. Now on to the SOMD Summer Games in Towson!!!
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Cheerleading/Dance
The SOHO Cheerleading/Dance teams participated in the SOMD State Cheerleading Qualifier at Urbana High School. SOHO had a total of 44 athletes competing in two Hip Hop teams (Diamond Hawks and Royal Hawks) one Poms team (Pearl Hawks), and one Cheer team (Cheer Hawks). Everyone did a great job and had a lot of fun participating and cheering on other Counties' teams. The athletes are working hard on perfecting their routines and looking forward to the Summer Games at Towson University. To see more photos from the event, click here.
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Softball - Mother Nature was not kind to us again and two softball qualifiers were rained out. Our annual Special Olympics Softball Invitational, this year scheduled for May 19th, had to be cancelled due to torrential rain the day before which made the fields unplayable. Special thanks to Zach Decker, our Softball Invitational Coordinator, who worked so hard to have another memorable event, and to the folks at HCYP who are always our best partners in preparing fields and help run the event.
A smaller softball competition was scheduled for May 5th but again, Mother Nature caused it to be cancelled. Finally on May 26th, thirty-six athletes from Harford and Howard Counties played two games, showcasing their exceptional skills and impressive teamwork. Harford County defeated the two Howard County teams (Silvea and Warren) in the first two games and then SOHO Team Silvea defeated SOHO Team Warren in the third game. Softball Coordinator Felicia McLarin described their hard work and dedication as truly remarkable.
Photos from the competition can be found here.
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Swimming
SOHO hosted a swim meet at Stevens Forest Swimming Pool on June 2nd. Participating in the event were 43 SOHO athletes as well as 55 athletes from Montgomery County, 1 athlete from Carroll County and 5 athletes from Prince George's County. Swim Coordinator Dave Donovan reported that there were lots of swims and sportsmanship to be proud of. Many thanks to the Columbia Association and Columbia Clippers' parents and swimmers who have been incredibly supportive of the SOHO program out front and behind the scenes. Thanks to Casey and Brian Otten for leading the effort and to all our coaches and volunteers and to Head Coach Ann Scholz for leading the team effort on the deck. Special thanks to Jackie Miller for covering the medical table and Mimi Goodman for taking great photos during the event.
Earlier in the season, our swimmers also participated in qualifiers at Loyola University, Ridge Academy in Montgomery County. and PG County. Forty Eight SOHO swimmers will be competing at Summer Games in Towson this month along with 4 Unified Partners.
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Track and Field
For the first time since 2019, SOHO returned to Wilde Lake High School to host the last "mega meet" of this year's track season, hosting seven counties and 150 athletes. The competition was intense from the lengthy long distance events, the shorter sprints, and three different types of relays! The competition was a great success.
Such an event could not have happened without help from a number of people - thanks to Dr. Brandon Lauer, Athletic Director at Wilde Lake High School, for recruiting an awesome group of volunteers from both Wilde Lake and River Hill High Schools. Thanks also to Matt Aubin, Brian Henderson, and Kristina Dronenburg, teachers and coaches from WLHS, who helped out all during the meet both on and off the track. Thank you to Mariane Otto-Smith who provided medical coverage. A huge thank you to Mike Czarnowski from SOMD for his support, presence, and for filling in as the starter for us - and making one of our coaches a future starter!
Finally, thanks to Track and Field Coordinator Lavonne Smith, Head Coach Shirley Duhaney, Assistant Coaches Debbie and Teresa Docal, Long Distances coaches John and Ann Worley and Adam Yoe for their unwavering support of our Track and Field program.
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A very special THANK YOU to two individuals below who have provided us with incredible photos of so many of our athletes and events.
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Executive Committee member, Mimi Goodman, has been taking photographs at many of our competitions as well as our fundraising events (IW and OTE) for many years. Not only is this a huge commitment in time (e.g. distant events such as the cheerleading competition in Urbana, all day events such as Over the Edge and annual softball tournament, and full weekend events such as this year's track event and swim meet) but it takes hours to download and review photos to chose the best to be posted. Mimi also creates concatenated photos for the newsletter.
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Walter Larrimore has been creating a fun time for all the participants at the annual Inspiration Walk with his photo booth, bringing props to make individual, friends and family photos part of the festivities. In addition, Walter does the step and repeat photos at the Over the Edge event capturing the rappelers' joy at being back on the ground! And like Mimi, he spends time reviewing the photos before posting them on our SmugMug site.
We can't thank these two volunteers enough for sharing their talent and commitment in time to give us lasting memories.
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Office Hours
Monday/Thursday 8:30 - 1:30
Tuesday 1:30 - 6:30
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2024 Volunteer Orientations
The next volunteer orientation is scheduled for Monday, June 10th at the SOHO office.
Contact the office (410-740-0500) or info@somdhc.org for more information. Parents and siblings of athletes as well as students who may be interested in being Unified Partners or looking for service hours are encouraged to attend.
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Still seeking a Level 2-5 Golf Coordinator
We are still in need of a Level 2-5 Golf Coordinator. With the impending season, it's critical that we get someone in this position in order to get trained by our previous golf coordinator.
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In Memoriam
Rosemary Gruss, mother of athlete Catherne Gruss, passed away on May 30th. Rosemary served as our Medical Coordinator for 17 years. During that time, she was a fixed feature at many of our competitions ensuring that athletes (and sometimes coaches and volunteers) were cared for when medical assistance was needed. In addition to assisting at county events and being the overnight nurse with our delegation at Summer Games for many years, Rosemary also served as the Medical representative for the Maryland delegation at three National Games, starting with the 2006 Games in Iowa, the 2010 Games in Nebraska, and the 2014 Games in New Jersey. Rosemary enjoyed watching Catherine compete in multiple sports and both were featured on several television vignettes over the years on WBAL-TV and on ESPN during National Games. Rest in peace, Rosemary.
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This year's Over the Edge event will take place on Saturday, September 14th. More information on becoming a rappeller will be forthcoming. In the meantime, if you know of any company or business that is interested in being a corporate sponsor, please have them contact Cole Schnorf (cschnorf@manekin.com.
Also, if you are interested in being involved as a volunteer, please contact the office or info@somdhc.org
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Sports Camp
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is sponsoring a day long sports camp at
Chapelgate Presbyterian Church on July 27th from 8am until 2pm. The campers will get to be an athlete all day! Athletes will be paired up with a one-on-one teammate who will be their best friend throughout the day and go through all sports stations with them. Register at www.cmdfcs.org/allability.
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Discounted Sports Physicals
Special Olympics North America has renewed the partnership with MinuteClinic, and, will once again be offering discounted sports physicals at a discounted rate. This voucher must be presented at the time of the physical AND athletes and families should bring the Special Olympics Maryland registration packet with them to ensure the correct paperwork is completed and can be submitted to their area program.
*New*
There is also a voucher for discounted Women’s Health Services through Minute Clinic for Special Olympics athletes.
Reminder: Athletes are not required to use MinuteClinic, but those who do not have a primary care physician may find this discount helpful.
REMEMBER: All athletes must have a current medical at the start of a sports season before they can participate so don't wait until the last minute to get your physicals completed before the season starts.
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Medical Support Needed - Find Out More
Do you have a medical or nursing degree? Are you an EMT? We are in need of medical support staff to assist at competitions. You would be asked to attend a competition two to three times a year to provide medical assistance, if needed. If you think you may be interested, contact our Medical Coordinator, Jackie Miller, at chitchat1955@gmail.com.
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THANK YOU TO OUR 2023 OVER THE EDGE SPONSORS
PRESENTING SPONSOR AND ROPE SPONSOR
Howard Hughes Corporation
LANDING ZONE SPONSOR
ARCO Design/Build
TEAM BUILDER SPONSORS
Allan Homes Foundation
Cushman Wakefield
KO Public Affairs
Manekin LLC
Pioneer Services
FEARLESS LEADER SPONSORS
Bohler Engineering
BrightView Landscape Services
Columbia Association
Dembo Jones
Downtown Columbia Partnership
Environmental Systems Associates
Gula Tech Adventures
H&R Retail
Mackenzie Commercial Real Estate
Shipley and Horne
Stewart Title
Tenable
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Car Donations Benefit SOHO
Through the efforts of longtime coach and volunteer, Duke Silvea, Special Olympics can now accept car donations to benefit our program. Since the beginning of this program, we have received $19,981.00 in donations! If you have a car you would like to donate, please use this link and select Howard County as the recipient of the funds.
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Photos of Our Athletes
You can enjoy photos of our athletes at practice, competitions and other events on our photo page.
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Newsletter Information
If you are an athlete, parent or caregiver, we highly recommend that you do not Unsubscribe from this newsletter. You will miss valuable information about seasonal sports registration, policies, highlights, activities and other relevant information. Please add info@somdhc.org and bobbaker@somdhc.org email addresses to your address book so that this letter does not go into your Junk Mail folder. If you have any suggestions or questions about the newsletter, please let us know at info@somdhc.org.
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