2015 Fall Calcutta

You are invited to an evening of fun to support a great cause!

The 2015 Special Olympics Chittenden Calcutta

Saturday, October 24th

Elks Lodge

925 North Ave, Burlington

Doors open at 6:00 PM

Featuring host Jamie Polli from GameShowsVT!
Tickets $100 for two dinners and one game ball

$2000 Grand Prize

Prizes throughout the evening

Choice of:

• New York Sirloin Strip Steak - Choice cut, seasoned & chargrilled - a 12 oz mouth-watering steak cut & aged in-house 
• Baked stuffed Chicken - Baked chicken breast stuffed w/spinach, wild rice and ginger topped w/a white wine cheese sauce 
• Baked Haddock w/Lemon & herb crumb topping

Also featuring:

• Silent auction
• 100th ball raffle
• 50/50 raffle
• Cash bar

Contact:

Karen Bogdan

802-865-3840

kraze1@comcast.net

or 

Dave Bogdan

802-598-9571

dbogdan@ieee.org

Coach Maggie Trayah - 2015 Milton Community Champion Award winner!

Congratulations to coach Maggie Trayah, a 2015 Milton Community Champion Award winner! Maggie was nominated by Christian, Julia and Leigh and I'd like to share their nomination as it beautifully tells Maggie's story:

We would like to nominate Maggie Trayah as a 2015 Community Champion.  Maggie is a long-time volunteer coach for Special Olympics Vermont, Chittenden Division.  She coaches swimming, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and soccer.   As a coach she works with the program coordinators to plan each season and devotes time from her weekends and evenings year-round to collaborate with other coaches, encourage and teach athletes of all ages and ability levels, and lead practices. She often goes above and beyond this volunteer role, assisting athletes with transportation to and from practices.  

Many of Maggie’s athletes live in Milton and she contributes to these residents’ wellbeing by encouraging physical activity, healthy life-style choices, and inclusion in a group and in the larger community.  Volunteering with Special Olympics is a community service that allows social opportunities, chances for athletes to improve fitness, coordination, and self-esteem, and encouragement of sportsmanship and collaboration for individuals who often do not get a chance to shine.  Without volunteer coaches like Maggie, the program would not run, and many Milton residents and their families with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders would not have opportunities to swim, bowl, ski, and participate in other athletic activities at no cost to them.  The rest of the Milton community would miss out on the confidence these athletes gain, a confidence that allows them to be stronger, healthier and more positive contributors to our community.

Christian Georges, a Milton resident and one of her swimmers, has this to say about Maggie: “My favorite thing about Maggie is that she takes time to teach me how to swim.  She always says I do a good job and makes me want to try harder.  She stays in the water with me if I am tired so I don’t give up.  She says ‘Keep on trying! You are doing a good job!  Keep on trying!’ She is a wonderful swimming teacher and we love her!” Jill, another athlete who has been on Maggie’s snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and swim teams says, “She is a good snowshoeing teacher and cross-country skiing teacher and swimming teacher.  She is nice.  I trust her and I want to make her proud of me!”  

As fans of Special Olympics Vermont and caregivers to an athlete, we see her dedication and the respect the athletes have for her at every practice and competition.  Maggie is genuine and kind, and from our observations we are sure the quotes from the athletes above are sentiments most of the athletes share.  Maggie embodies and models the Special Olympics oath “Let me win.  But if cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt” for her athletes, their caregivers, and our community.  For these reasons we nominate her as a 2015 Milton Community Champion.


Christian Georges, Leigh Thackaberry, and Julia Kimball

Soccer Practice Canceled today, Tuesday 8/11/2015

All, coach Giles is canceling soccer practice today due to the poor field conditions. Practice will resume on Thursday. Thanks, Dave

2015 Chittenden Individual Bowling Practice

Chittenden's individual bowling practice will be on Wednesday evenings at Champlain Lanes, 2630 Shelburne Road, Shelburne beginning in August, then transition to Sunday mornings:

Wed, Aug 19, 15	06:00 PM	08:30 PM
Wed, Aug 26, 15	06:00 PM	08:30 PM
Sun, Aug 30, 15	10:00 AM	12:30 PM
Wed, Sep 2, 15	06:00 PM	08:30 PM
Sun, Sep 7, 15	No Practice
Sun, Sep 13, 15	10:00 AM	12:30 PM
Sun, Sep 20, 15	10:00 AM	12:30 PM
Sun, Sep 27, 15	10:00 AM	12:30 PM
Sun, Oct 4, 15	10:00 AM	12:30 PM

The bowling tournament will be held on Sunday, October 12th at our home turf of Champlain Lanes!

Pre-register please!
Please contact Karen or Dave Bogdan by phone (865-3840) or email (dbogdan@ieee.org) to sign up. We plan on having lane assignments for the first practice.  August is a busy month for many of us with camps and vacation so please contact Karen or Dave if you want to bowl but have conflicts in August.  We will work something out.  Our competition registration is due mid-September so we need at least 5 weeks of practice by then for averages!

Coaches:
Karen and Dave Bogdan - 865-3840
Karen Cutler
Gary DeCarolis
Brian Conroy

2015 Chittenden Soccer Practice

Dear Athletes, Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers:

On behalf of the entire volunteer coaching staff let me welcome you to the Chittenden Delegation’s 2015 Soccer Program.

We are happy to announce that this year’s program officially begins on Tuesday, August 4th at 5:45 pm at our practice field located at the Willey Family Farm in back of the Fairgrounds in Essex Junction. Take the back entrance to the Fairgrounds (also road to St James Church) right to the Fairgrounds gate and park in the stone parking area.  The fields are just to the right of the access road – roughly ¼ mile up from Route 2A.

Practices will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:45 pm – 7:15 pm right up to the Special Olympics Vermont Statewide Tournament at Norwich University on Saturday, September 26th.

You can expect that our coaches will be working with each athlete to have fun, to teach the game, to build a sense of teamwork and most importantly promote good sportsmanship in practice and in competition.

You can expect that our coaches will treat all athletes, parents, guardians, and caregivers with respect and ask you to provide that same level of respect to our coaches and to other athletes.

We ask you to comply with the Special Olympics of Vermont’s Spectator Guidelines which is attached. In addition, we ask you to review with your athlete the Special Olympics Vermont Athlete Code of Conduct form then sign and return it to me as soon as possible.

Like last year, we will be organizing athletes into three groups to maximize their skill development while maintaining our focus on safety for all athletes.

As coaches, we have an expectation that athletes will arrive on time for practice and will be are picked up on time at the conclusion of practice --- as our volunteer coaches have commitments as well. We will also make an extra effort to end practice on time.

As coaches, we have an expectation that each athlete will arrive wearing a team purple practice t-shirt, black shorts, soccer cleats, shin guards, with a water bottle, and a soccer ball --- ready to play.

Per the requirements of Special Olympics Vermont, please understand the need we have up-to-date medical forms and information on each athlete. Please submit any and all required form as quickly as possible.

If you have an issue of concern, please call me at 802.598.3123 so we can resolve it as soon as possible.

Dedicated to keeping it fun, safe, and respectful,

Head Coach Giles Willey

PS.
With regard to inclement weather, please go to the Chittenden Delegation website/blog located at http://sovchittenden.blogspot.com to learn if practice is canceled. Once practice has been canceled for the day, it will not be changed even if the weather improves later in the day!

PPS.
In order to keep expenses down, we will again be car pooling to the Statewide Tournament at Norwich University. So please consider helping us in this regard, if possible.

Star Wars night at the Lake Monsters in Memory of Jeremy Boquet

The Boquet family has worked with the Vermont Lake Monsters to bring Star Wars Night to the Lake Monsters in Memory of Jeremy Boquet. Special Olympics Vermont is the designated nonprofit for this fundraising event and we will receive a portion of all ticket sales purchaced through the link below. Jeremy was a big fan of Star Wars and of the Lake Monsters and a volunteer, along with his family, for Special Olympics Vermont so what a fitting event this is! Let's see how many athletes and families can make it to this special night in memory of Jeremy!  

We will also be selling 50/50 raffle tickets at the game and there will be a special auction of Star Wars - Lake Monsters jersey which we will receive proceeds from. See you at the ball field!  

If you are interested in sitting as a group, contact Dave Bogdan or Jon Whittle to reserve tickets. We will buy a bunch of tickets so we can all sit together. You'll still have to pay us for the tickets! 

Purchase tickets here: 

https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/Buy.asp?EventID=120933&promocode=sovt

Special Olympics Massachusetts hosts Special Olympics New England night at the Red Sox

This year’s Special Olympics New England night at the Red Sox will be held on Thursday, August 20 vs the Kansas City Royals at 7:10pm.   The link is now live for people to purchase tickets at www.redsox.com/specialolympics  Please pass along this information to EVERYONE within your respective programs. There may be opportunities to throw out the first pitch, sing the National Anthem……… The tickets are $29.00 for Right Field Grandstand and $27.00 for bleacher.  More details will be forthcoming as we get closer.

…..

Mike Frisbie

Director of Programs

…..

Special Olympics Vermont

16 Gregory Dr. Suite 2

South Burlington, VT 05403

Tel 802 861 0278

Cell 802 922 4939

Fax 802 863 3911

Email mfrisbie@vtso.org