Local Special Olympians compete in state tourney

Special Olympians from around the state met in Anchorage Nov. 18 to compete in the annual Special Olympics Alaska Bowling Tournament.

In a morning and afternoon shift at the Center Bowl, 225 athletes squared off in teams of four to bowl three games for high team score.

"The games were very successful," said Special Olympics Alaska president Jim Balamaci. "This was in large part due to the contributions of volunteers, coaches, athletes and the help of the Center Bowl."

According to Balamaci, the tournament began in Alaska sometime in the 1970s and is one of four state games held during the year for Special Olympians.

For the tournament, teams were placed into divisions based on age, ability, and gender, with awards given to places in each division.

The divisions were further broken into traditional and unified bowling teams.

Traditional teams are comprised entirely of Special Olympics athletes and unified teams are comprised of two athletes with mental disabilities and two without.

The Central Kenai Peninsula Alley Cats won first place overall, with the highest score of all traditional teams, and a team from Ketchikan captured first place overall for the unified teams.

Gold medalists from each division qualify for a chance to be selected to compete in the 2003 World Games in Dublin, Ireland.

To qualify for this year's state bowling tournament, competitors had to complete eight weeks of training and qualify in local competitions.

Valley athletes fared well in competition during the event.

The Mat-Su Bears took second place and a silver medal in their division. The Bears are a traditional team, with members Christina Awana, Melanie Flowers, Dawn Jorgenson and Dona Lee Kessler.

The Mat-Su Beavers took third place and a bronze medal in their division. The Beavers are a unified team comprised of K.D. Collins, Kathleen Dush, Erin Higgins, and Ernie Orloff.

Mat-Su Ermine finished in second place and earned a silver medal in their division. Ermine is a traditional team, with members Matthew Gordon, Jeremy Hartman, Aaron Kulhanek and Jerome Phelps.

Tom Jacobson, Gerald Paul, Michael Powell and Fred Shor belong to the Mat-Su Ferrets, a traditional team that took first place to earn a gold medal in their division.

The Mat-Su Foxes, a unified team of Steven Gray, Lisa Packard, Carolyn Sieler and Matthew Voyles, finished in third place to earn a bronze medal in their division.

The Mat-Su Goats finished in fifth place in their division to earn a ribbon. The Goats are a traditional team, with members Frances Charles, Bim Hoylman, Bill Missoff and Ed Price.

The Mat-Su Lynx, a unified team of members Calvin Beasley, Ted Campbell, Daniel Dutton and Andrew Van Asdoll, placed second in their division to earn a silver medal.

Logan Anderson, Jacob Brown, Charlie Burlile and Robbie Morrow are members of the Mat-Su Marmots, taking fifth place to earn ribbons.

The Mat-Su Porcupines took third place to earn a bronze medal in their division. The Porcupines are a traditional team, with members Jennifer Havins, Lisa Hobbs, Melody Jones and Erica Pletting.

The Mat-Su Rabbits, a traditional team with members Andre Coulombe, Jerry Famolari, Ben McGinty and Tom Schulling, took first place to earn a gold medal in their division.

"These games have a lot of meaning to athletes in the small communities throughout Alaska," said Balamaci. "They look forward to the competition."

More information about Special Olympics Alaska can be found online at www.specialolympicsalaska.org.