2013 Special Olympics Winter Games Fan Page

Blog Introduction

2010-03-26T14:10:00.002-04:00

Please enjoy this amazing guest blog post on Disability.gov from one of Special Olympics Kansas’ and Project UNIFY’s leaders, Clint Armistead.

http://blog.govdelivery.com/usodep/2010/03/it-had-to-be-done-a-youth-perspective-on-the-rword-campaign.html

Be a Fan!

2010-03-19T14:46:00.014-04:00

Be a fan™ is a fully-integrated marketing campaign designed to send a powerful message that resonates with the general public, tapping into core values and attributes that everyone can appreciate - unity, acceptance, empowerment, dignity, courage, strength, pride, confidence and fun. The campaign will help connect people who are not already associated with the Special Olympics movement to bridge the “relevancy gap” and, ultimately, support the Special Olympics brand goals.

NBA.com blogger Sekou Smith has put it best – “Super Mario has a commercial that rivals those of Kobe Brant, LeBron James, Dwane Wade and their NBA brethren.”
Today, “Skeleton” the newest PSA created by BBDO was launched in the advertising world. The 30-second spot, which uses state-of-the-art animation, features Mario Ogunbowale a 21 year-old Special Olympics athlete hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mario plays on the Milwaukee Blazers Special Olympics basketball team and started competing with Special Olympics back when he was age 16.

You can check out the PSA on Special Olympics homepage in the ‘Around the World’ section here: See the PSA and read more in our online press room as well. The timing of this launch will run throughout the year with plans to be featured during the Euroleague Four Competitions in Paris, and during the NBA Finals in the U.S.

Special Olympics, through sport, has been working to change attitudes about people with intellectual disabilities and help society see their capabilities. People significantly underestimate the capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities and this new PSA is just one example of how we can help change those attitudes.

This PSA is being distributed to all of our Regions, in arenas, on television and at events throughout 2010 as Special Olympics continue the ‘Be a Fan’ campaign.

Become a fan of Special Olympics and Support 2013 Special Olympics World Games!

Do You Think Everybody Knows Snowshoeing?

2010-03-08T23:11:00.016-05:00

[Special Olympics In The News]
Four county students dominate snowshoe events at 2010 Special Olympics Winter Invitational
POSTED: March 4, 2010

Four Chautauqua County students competed in a snowshoeing competition at the Special Olympics Winter Invitational held in Frewsburg Jan. 16. Travis and three of his classmates won a combined 15 medals at the competition, all in snowshoeing events.
The competition took place at Frewsburg High School and was organized by the Special Olympics New York Western Region. Coaching the team were Special Education teachers Maureen Bialaszewski and Susie Hertlein, and Beverli Horrocks, school counselor.
"Our students did an outstanding job at the Special Olympics Winter Invitational," said Jennifer Clark, Special Education supervisor at the LoGuidice Center. "We were very proud of the manner in which they represented the LoGuidice Center and the work they put into preparing for the event."
Find out more...

Snowshoes are footwear for walking over snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation".
Snowshoeing, one of Special Olympics Winter Sports, has been popular in North America and Europian Countries. However, this sport is not well known in Asia region especially in Korea. Most korean have not seen snowshoes and even heard of that except Special Olympics Korean athletes. It will be a problem to be solved for Special Olympics Korea(SOK) before 2013 Games would be held. SOK should promote this sports to the public and cooperate with ski mountain(resort) industries in order to construct venues for snowshoeing. Aslo, it will be the opportunity for Korea to announce snowshoeing to the public, hosting the 2013 Games.

Click below links, you will find great videos about adaptive snowshoeing.

* What is snowshoeing?
http://www.ehow.com/video_4942819_what-snowshoeing.html
* Having Fun in Adaptive Snowshoeing
http://www.ehow.com/video_4942830_having-fun-adaptive-snowshoeing.html

Yuna Kims' Unlimited Power on 2013 Special Olympics Winter Games

2010-03-08T17:14:00.014-05:00

Top athletes who compete in the Olympics make loads of money, but who is the richest of them all? Turns out that the top-earning athlete is none other than Korean figure skater Yuna Kim. According to Forbes, Kim Yuna and American snowboarder, Shaun White, earned approximately $7.5 million USD each in 2009. Yuna has signed with Nike, Hyundai Motors, Kookmin Bank and also had a personalized phone product called the Yuna Phone (1 million units were sold in 7 months, setting a company record). These endorsements, along with Yuna’s domination in ice skating, have made the nineteen-year-old into a millionaire.

Some local firms are already reaping fruits thanks to Kim since no matter what items associated with her sells briskly from cheap accessories to expensive cars and home appliances.
Included in the beneficiaries are Korea's flagship firms such as Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, which sponsored Kim before she won Korea's first Olympic medal in figure skating.
Samsung has chalked up fast growth in the sales of its air conditioners over the past few weeks thanks in large part to a commercial featuring Kim.
Should the strong sales continue, the company expects it will catch up with perennial leader LG Electronics this year on the domestic air conditioner market.
Another main sponsor of Kim, Hyundai Motor is looking to take advantage of her brand power to enhance its global awareness. Hyundai is the world's sixth-largest carmaker together with its sister company Kia Motors.
Maeil Dairies, the country's main manufacturer of dairy products for which Kim modeled, is also thinking of extending its sponsorship contract with the star as it too racked up increased sales.
Yuna Kim also will appear in a documentary to promote Seoul around the world. Seoul Metropolitan Government said yesterday that the 60-minute documentary, titled "Seoul Spirit," will be aired by the Discovery Channel in about 20 Southeast Asian countries on March 19.

Special Olympics Korea and 2013 Games would definitely benefit having her. She can use her economic and popular influence to bring attention to the 2013 special Olympics Games.She can be a role model especially to Asian athletes and potential participants to join the Games. Moreover, if she would be the representative of Special Olympics Korea, she could bring her additional sponsorships to the Games. Special Olympics Korea(SOK) should try to have Yuna Kim as a representative of SOK.

Michelle Kwan participated in Special Olympics Korea Program!

2010-03-08T16:07:00.005-05:00

Michelle Kwan, the Olympics figure skating medal list,visited South Korea on the beginning of January 2010. During the seven day trip, Michelle visited Seoul(the Capital), Pyeongchang(Potential 2013 Special Olympics Winter Games Host City) and Goyang. She participated in a roundtable discussion with university students, visit several high schools, conduct skating clinics, and participate in a Special Olympics program.
In the Special Olympics program, the most decorated American skater lead Korean athletes of Special Olympics Korea at an ice rink in Gwanghwamun Plaza. Michelle Kwan spent about an hour guiding 11 young skaters in spins, jumps and crossovers.
After having fun with the kiddies on the rink, the two time Olympic medalist remarked about the current reigning champion, Kim Yuna.
"I know they all look up to Yuna Kim. It's a very big compliment when she said 'I looked up to you Michelle when I was very young,'" said Kwan. "I know that these kids have a good role model, and that's Yuna Kim. Hopefully in the future, they will be future world champions."

I was at this ice rink to watch Michelle Kwan and cheer Special Olympics athletes. It was extremly cold, so even it was hard for me to just stand there. But, she was keeping smiling and teaching young children enthusiastically. I think she is not only the best skater, but also the person with the warmest heart.

Fun adaptive Ski & Snowboarding!

2010-03-08T01:42:00.017-05:00

Adaptive skiing enables skiers with disabilities to participate in alpine skiing by using special equipment. Adaptive skiing lesson programs are available at many ski resorts for children and adults with a wide range of disabilities. There are a lot of places to provide adaptive winter sports lessons. Most of ski resports will continue until the end of March.

Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports is a non-profit organization that provide sport opportunities - skiing, snowboarding, and other outdoor activities - to people with disabilities. Vermont Adaptive is based at Pico Mountain and lessons and equipment for all ability levels and all ages are available.

Eldora Special Recreation Program (ESRP) is a program offering unique skiing and winter sports recreation opportunities for physically and mentally challenged individuals. Skiers of all ages and abilities take part in the many winter sports activities offered by ESRP.

Colorado Discover Ability (CDA) is the Adaptive Ski and Snowboard School at Powderhorn Resort in western Colorado. They provide a complete inventory of adaptive equipment for instruction. There are many programs such as Private Ski and Snowboard Lessons, Family Lessons, Ski Buddy or Sighted Guide for the Blind or Visually Impaired.

Host Country Profile

2010-03-02T22:57:00.008-05:00

South Korea is a very modern country. In Seoul, you will find a city that is as up-to-date as any in Europe, the United States, or Japan. But Korea has retained a unique identity through its own traditional culture, its language, and its wonderful cuisine. Walk through any city or town, along wide streets or small alleyways, and discover a wide variety of restaurants, both large and small.

Country Name: Republic of Korea
Capital City: Seoul
Location: Korea is a rugged peninsula lying between China on the west and north and Japan to the east.
Territory: 100,032km2 (South Korea)
The whole Korean peninsula is about 85,500 square miles, about the size of Utah. South Korea is 99,000 square miles -roughly similar to Oregon.
Population: 48,508,972 (July 2009 est.)
Language: Korean (Written form: Hangeul)
Climate: Four very distinct seasons
Spring lasts from mid-March to the end of May and flower such as azaleas, cherry blossoms, and magnolias can be seen. Summer from June to August is hot and humid with occasional rain. Autumn arrives from September to November and skiing seasons starts in late November and runs through early March.
National flower: Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon)
Currency: won
Political System: Democracy with president elected to a single 5-year term by direct popular vote.
Culture: Korean culture is still based on certain 600 year-old Confucian principles. Among these are willingness to work hard at any task and, especially, devotion to the family.

Site Selection Committee Visited South Korea

2010-02-22T11:05:00.012-05:00

Ganwon Province have been interested in hosting 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games.
More than 100 countries have participated in Special Olympics World Games which is an international sporting event on a global scale. In Asian region, only China and Japan have hosted this world games.
South Korea submitted bidding book(application)to Special Olympics Inc. and SOI appointed the 2013 World Winter Games Site Selection Committee. From Feb 2, the Site Selection Committee has conducted in-depth visits to the Republic of Korea, including potential Games venues in the Pyeongchang Region of Gangwon Province, to determine the suitability of holding 2013 World Winter Games in Korea.
2013 World Winter Games Site Selection Committee enthusiastically recommends that the Board of Directors select the Pyeongchang Region of Gangwon Province, Republic of Korea, as the site of the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games, noting in particular the excellence of the Pyeongchang sports and accommodation venues in addition to the widespread government, business, and civil society support for the 2013 World Winter Games.

If Korea win the bid, they expect it would have positive impact on promoting 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics Games Bid.

Special Olympics World Games Promotion Video

2010-02-21T21:31:00.007-05:00

What’s the difference between Special Olympics and Paralympics?

2010-02-19T22:10:00.003-05:00

Special Olympics and Paralympics are two separate organizations recognized
by the International Olympic Committee. Special Olympics involves athletes from all ranges of physical abilities who have intellectual disabilities. A very small percentage of Special Olympics athletes also have physical disabilities. The Paralympics involves athletes from six disability groups who compete only on the elite sport level.. As in mainstream sports competitions, athletes who do not meet qualifying standards may not compete and others who are competing may lose in preliminary play. Th e mainstream philosophy of sport is applied, which facilitates competition to determine the “best” athlete or team.

Do you know Special Olympics?

2010-02-10T02:46:00.005-05:00

Special Olympics is offering an opportunity for children and adults with intellectual disability to earn year-round sports training. It also often hosts athletic competitions for those to participate as a non-profit international sports organization. Such competitions improve physical ability of ones with intellectual disability and allow them to adjust to the society better. This is action of Special Olympics global movement.

Origin of Special Olympics
Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded Special Olympics in 1968 because of her passionate conviction that persons with intellectual disabilities, young and old, could take part in and benefit from competitive sports.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver opened a daily camp for persons with intellectual disabilities in Maryland in 1963.
Shriver found that people with disabilities were much more athletic and had greater abilties in physcial activities than most professionals had thought. Shriver had Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. foundation sponsor them to host the first Special International Olympics held in Chicago Soldier Field in 1968 and Special Movement officially started.