Special Olympics Vermont is proud to announce that two athletes from Vermont have been named to Special Olympics Team USA. The 491 member delegation will represent the United States at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games, taking place July 25 through August 2nd, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Traveling and competing on the world stage celebrates Hunter’s as well as all our athletes abilities, and instills confidence in the pursuit of achieving their goals.
“It’s an incredible honor to qualify and be selected for a World Games event,” says Lisa DeNatale, President and CEO of Special Olympics Vermont. “Traveling and competing on the world stage celebrates our athletes’ abilities, and instills confidence in the pursuit of achieving their goals.
Hunter Hall, 29 of White River Junction, will compete in the World Games as a Level 5 Golfer. Hall has been involved with Special Olympics since 2002. In addition to golf, Hunter competes in bowling and snowshoeing.
Lorna Tibbits of Swanton, has been involved with Special Olympics for more than thirty years. At age 55, she will compete with Team USA as an individual bowler. Lorna is excited to travel to California, and proud to represent Vermont and the USA at this international competition event.
The U.S. “home team” will include 304 athletes and 43 Unified Partners competing in 17 sports, 102 volunteer coaches, and 42 volunteer sports and management team members, representing all fifty states and the District of Columbia. The team also includes several Special Olympics Unified Sports® teams, where people with and without intellectual disabilities compete together, as teammates.
Every two years, the world transcends the boundaries of geography, nationality, political philosophy, gender, age, culture and religion to come together for Special Olympics World Games. Alternating between summer and winter Games, this event is the flagship event of the Special Olympics movement, which promotes equality, tolerance and acceptance through the power and joy of sport. This prominent world stage brings attention to the Special Olympics movement and the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities. Currently, more than 4.4 million Special Olympics athletes train and compete year-round in 170 nations across the globe.
Also gearing up to compete at the elite level is 18 year old Special Olympics Vermont athlete, Johnny Moretti of Fairfax, who will compete in the half marathon at the 2015 San Francisco Marathon. Moretti ran his first half marathon at the 2014 Vermont City Marathon when he finished in just over 1 hour, 42 minutes.
Best of luck to these three Vermont athletes as they prepare to take on the world in 2015.