Team Adams September Update

Hello Team Adams supporters,

There really never is an "off season" in Special Olympics as we always seem to have something going on and we like it that way! We have lots of sports wrapping up their regular seasons, but selected athletes from those sports will still continue to practice until their competitions. As our Fall sports are kicking into high gear now, we are already planning for our winter sports (floorball and bowling). Last month we shared some changes coming to our bowling program as well as some information about our brand new sport of floorball, so if you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out to your coach or myself! As always, follow us closely on facebook and check our website often as we are constantly sharing information on those social media platforms.

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

~ Joy

Joy Weikert

adamsteamleader@gmail.com

717-398-7657

The John Steinour Award is presented by the Notre Dame Club each year in memory of Special Olympics athlete John Steinour. John was a huge Notre Dame fan as well as a beloved athlete for Special Olympics Adams County for many years. This award is presented annually to an athlete who has participated for more than 10 years and exhibits all the wonderful qualities that John exhibited.

We are thrilled to recognize athlete Debbie Krombolz as the recipient of the very prestigous John Steinour Award for 2025! When thinking about Debbie, we think of the Energizer Bunny! She participates in every sport that she can, working through and overcoming injuries and other medical issues, only to bounce right back every time with a remarkable attitude. Debbie is definitely one of our most cheerful, friendly, kind, and thoughtful athletes. She always has a smile and a great sense of humor. At an age where most athletes stop competing, she recently tried swimming for the first time, with a goal to overcome her fear of the water. She takes the initiative to arrange transportation to practices or competitions and is openly grateful to those who assist her. Whatever is happening in your day, a “how ya doin'?” from Debbie will make you smile! When not doing Special Olympics, Deb enjoys doing art and she generously gifts her artwork to friends and acquaintances. Congratulations, Debbie, on this very well deserved recognition!

Congratulations to Jill Stoner (pictured at right in blue 😆) for being selected as our Coach of the Year for 2025! Jill serves in a variety of roles for Team Adams. She has been one of our head coaches for tennis for the past several years and is currently in the process of becoming a certified coach for long distance running/walking and bocce. In addition, she regularly helps out at practices for the 8 different sports that her son, Jonathan, participates in. Jill is a very caring person who relates well to the athletes. She prefers to be actively involved at practices rather than sitting on the sidelines, and she's always willing to jump in and help without needing to be asked.

Jill is also our Public Relations Coordinator, which means that she is constantly posting information on our website and facebook page, helps create our newsletter each month, takes pictures at all of our events, and sends pictures to the newspaper. Last year, Jill followed her passion for Special Olympics and accepted a paid position with Special Olympics PA serving as the Regional Administrative Manager for the The Capital Area Region. Thank you, Jill, for your time, passion, and commitment to Special Olympics! We would be lost without you!

The Team Adams Avengers played hard at In The Net sports complex on August 21-23 against softball teams from across the state. They slugged their way over 3 days of tough competiton to make it to the championship game where they lost a hard fought game to bring home a SILVER medal. We know they had their hearts set on gold, but we are super proud of them for rallying together as a team and giving their best effort! Congratulations to Noah Preece who capped off his first season playing softball by competing in the skills competition and bringing home a GOLD medal! More important than medals, we are extremely proud of the way our athletes stepped out of their comfort zones to attend a 3-day competition away from their families! Memories were made that will last a lifetime! (We know a few athletes who will NEVER forget their ride in the hotel elevator! 😉)

A tradition with Team Adams is to select an "Athlete of the Sport" at the end of each season. The criteria for this award is good sportsmanship, great effort, and regular attendance throughout the season. The recipient is selected by the coaches.

We are excited to announce that the 2026 Athlete of the Sport for Golf is...MATTHEW PIAVIS! Matthew was new to our golf program this year. He knew the basics of the golf swing and has continued to improve his skills. He is polite, respectful of other people’s boundaries, and takes criticism and instruction very well. He is quiet to the point that you have to look to make sure he is there! Matthew is determined to become a better golfer. It has been a real pleasure having him in our program and we hope to see him back again in 2027!

We are proud to announce that our 2026 Athlete of the Sport for softball is ... ANTHONY LOBAUGH! At the start of the season, Anthony was a bit quiet and unsure of himself. But what a transformation we have seen. He listened to every single piece of coaching, worked hard every single week, and it paid off. His stance, swing, contact, and throwing arm have improved tremendously since week one. Best of all, whenever his coaches asked him to try playing a new position, he stepped up without hesitation. He went from lacking confidence to being a key pillar of his team. Congratulations, Anthony!

We are happy to announce JOSH BAUMMER as our 2026 Athlete of the Sport for pickleball! Josh has been in our pickleball program for many years and he consistently shows good sportsmanship and works hard to improve his game. He has continued to improve his serve, which now lands in the service court about 90% of the time. He also encourages his teammates and is supportive of their efforts. Josh has a positive attitude and is a pleasure to work with on the court. Congratulations, Josh!

It's our honor to recognize CHEYENNE JOHNSON-MOGITZ as our 2026 Athlete of the Sport for kayaking! Cheyenne brings energy and enthusiasm each week on the lake. Her skills continue to grow each week in the kayak. Most importantly, she brings rhythm to our practice with song! Congratulations, Cheyenne!

We are pumped up to share that AMAREE BROWN was chosen as our 2026 Athlete of the Sport for powerlifting! Amaree has a true passion for powerlifting. We are proud to recognize her for her dedication to powerlifting and her commitment to becoming the very best athlete that she can be! Congratulations, Amaree!

The athlete of the sport for Team Adams Volleyball 2026 has proven to be a true team player. This athlete is kind, respectful, takes instruction well, and puts it into practice each week. She has shown growth not only in her volleyball skills, but also her self confidence on and off the court. It has truly been a pleasure to coach her, and we look forward to seeing what she accomplishes this fall at competitions! She is a multi sport athlete, but is new to volleyball! Congratulations, OLIVIA RIFE!

Our volleyball program continues to grow, and our athletes continue to improve their skills. The regular season ends on September 2 with our "Local Competition" at St. Francis Xavier School in Gettysburg starting at 6:30pm. Come out and cheer them on! Our competition athletes will continue to practice after that to gear up for competitions. Head Coach Katherine McMaster is super excited this year to have THREE competition teams! We have two traditional teams as well as one unified developmental team. Hopefully all 3 teams will be accepted to compete at Central Fall Sectionals on September 27 at Juniata to try to qualify for Fall Fest at Villanova!

We have lots of bocce athletes who are working hard to improve their game at The Bourbon Mill on Monday evenings under the direction of Head Coach Marcia Beard. Our regular bocce season ends on October 5 with our Local Competition. Any athletes who qualify for Fall Fest will continue to practice until going to Villanova on November 13.

Our roller skaters have been training for a few weeks now on Wednesday afternoons. Head Coach Susan Redding made sure that everyone had properly fitting helmets and ordered new helmets for those who needed. Sadly, roller skating doesn't get to compete at Fall Sectionals or Fall Fest, but they will have an opportunity to show of their skills at our Local Competiton on October 21 before competing against the York roller skaters at our annual Regional Roller Skating Competition on October 25!

Our LDRW inaugural season officially kicks off on September 6 at Oakside Community Park on Sundays under the direction of Head Coach Mandy Hollman. We are excited to see what our walkers and runners can accomplish during our first season offering this sport! A few LDRW athletes will get the opportunity to compete at Fall Sectionals in hopes of qualifying for Fall Fest. In order to compete in LDRW, athletes must be able to handle at least 2 events in one day. This means that they must have the mental toughness and physical endurance to at least competitively walk 1500m and 3000m at a minimum (a total of about 3 miles) in one day.

Here are a few pictures from our annual family picnic that was held at the Bourbon Mill pavilion on August 30. It looks like a good time was had by all! Thank you to our Family Coordinator, Marcia Beard, for organizing this event each year!

Our Athlete Leadership Team is comprised of several athletes who are trained in being "leaders" for Special Olympics. They support our program in a variety of ways, such as planning activities, organizing fundraisers, and speaking at community events. They are currently running a popcorn fundraiser to raise money for our program. Please consider purchasing some delicious popcorn (already popped) to help them raise money that directly benefits Team Adams! If you don't have an order form, please contact Deb Bottomley (foreuvus@icloud.com or 717-891-1302) to place an order! Thank you for your support!

The Capital Area Region is looking for volunteers for their Fall Classic event, to be held at Hershey High School on Sunday, October 11. No clearances, trainings, or experience is needed for this annual 1-day event. You also don't need to be a registered Special Olympics volunteer, anyone can help! Simply sign-up using this link! You will receive instructions and a t-shirt featuring a brand new Fall Classic logo that day. They are looking for help with timing, measuring, scorekeeping, recording data, lunch, awards, skills competitions, re-stocking hydration stations, and tear down. This is a huge event featuring 6 different sports, drawing athletes from across the Capital Area Region and beyond, including lots of athletes from Team Adams. Come be a part of the magic and leave inspired!

Making a donation to support the athletes of Team Adams is now easier than ever! Donors can simply click on the link below to make a donation anytime using a credit card. If the donor wants to designate their money specifically to Team Adams so that it benefits our Team Adams athletes directly, please have them add a comment such as "I would like my donation to go to Team Adams" in the comment box that is provided on the form. If they do not specify a local program (such as Team Adams), their donation will go toward general use for the Capital Area Region, which would still benefit our athletes. We are extremely appreciative of any donations, no matter how big or how small at any time during the year!

We are extremely grateful to the following venues who allowed us to practice FREE OF CHARGE throughout the SUMMER and FALL seasons:

South Hills Golf Course (golf)

Oakside Community Park (softball and LDRW)

South Hanover YMCA (pickleball)

St. Francis Xavier School (volleyball)

Magic Elm Skateland (roller skating)

Hanover Familly Fitness (powerlifting)

Bourbon Mill (bocce)

If you're interested in playing or volunteering with bowling or floorball, you must sign up between Sept. 15 - Oct. 15. We will post the link on our website and Facebook page when it becomes available. We know they are considered "winter sports", but SOPA's winter season begins in November, so don't miss signups in a few weeks! See our training schedule (linked below) for exact dates, times, and locations for Team Adams' bowling and floorball practices. REMEMBER: We are offering two bowling locations this year (Edgewood in Gettysburg & South Hanover Lanes). Be sure to sign up for the location that you will be attending.

Updated with BOWLING and FLOORBALL practice information!

Please remember Special Olympics PA Team Adams at the Giving Spree. These donations enable us to continue to support Team Adams thru sporting opportunities, social engagement, mentoring, etc. Thank you for your continued support of Team Adams!

Sept. 15 - Oct. 15 - SIGNUPS FOR BOWLING AND FLOORBALL

Sept. 27 - Central Fall Sectional (Juniata College)

Oct. 5 - Bocce Local Competition (Bourbon Mill, New Oxford)

Oct. 11 - Hershey Fall Classic (Hershey High School, Hershey)

Oct. 12 - Bocce Fun Night (Bourbon Mill, New Oxford)

Oct. 21 - Local Roller Skating Competition (Magic Elm Skateland)

Oct. 25 - Regional Roller Skating Competition (Magic Elm Skateland, Hanover)

Nov. 13-15 - Fall Fest (Villanova University)

Dec. 12 - Team Adams Holiday Party (New Oxford Social Club Pavilion)

Team Adams Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/specialolympicspennsylvaniaadamscounty

Team Adams Website: https://sites.google.com/view/sopateamadams/home

Capital Area Region Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalarearegion

SOPA Facebook: https://portals.specialolympics.org/

SOPA Website: https://specialolympicspa.org/

SOPA Online Portal: https://portals.specialolympics.org/

Volunteer Questions: Linda Long, volunteersoac@gmail.com or 717-226-0739

New Athlete Questions/Portal Help: Jill Stoner, jstoner@specialolympicspa.org or 717-614-8047

Program Questions: Joy Weikert, adamsteamleader@gmail.com or 717-398-7657

Mailing Address:

Special Olympics PA Team Adams

PO Box 3

Bendersville, PA 17306

The Mission of Special Olympics is to provide year round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.