BOCCE BALL TEAMS OPEN OLYMPIANS NEED PEER PARTNERS.Byline: Daily News Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. Special Olympics Special Olympics International sports program for people with intellectual disability. It provides year-round training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type summer and winter sports for participants. has expanded its Unified Sports programs - which allow athletes with mental retardation mental retardation, below average level of intellectual functioning, usually defined by an IQ of below 70 to 75, combined with limitations in the skills necessary for daily living. to compete alongside nondisabled peer partners - to include bocce ball Noun 1. bocce ball - wooden ball that is bowled in the Italian game of bocce bocci ball, boccie ball ball - round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games; "the ball travelled 90 mph on his serve"; "the mayor threw out the first ball"; "the ball , more commonly known as Italian lawn bowling lawn bowling: see bowls. . The Unified Sports programs encourage local volunteers to partner with special-needs athletes in an environment of equality and mutual respect. The goal is to create an environment where both partners will be challenged to perform to the best of their ability. At the same time, the spirit of competition and friendship makes everyone a winner, regardless of the outcome of an individual event. Special Olympics is currently seeking nondisabled peer partners, ages 14 and up, to participate in bocce ball, as well as soccer, bowling and skiing. Each peer partner is paired with a special-needs athlete of similar age and ability. Together, they will compete against other Unified Teams of equal skill level and become eligible to advance to higher-level competitions in the state. ``Our Unified Sports programs are important for building self-confidence and mainstreaming our special-needs athletes into the community as a whole,'' said Special Olympics coach Dave Naftel. ``It also allows their peer partners to learn more about the capabilities of Special Olympics athletes and discover what incredible friends they can be.'' Practice for Special Olympics bocce ball is held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays at LARC LARC Langley Research Center LARC London Action Resource Centre LARC Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo LARC Long Acting Reversible Contraception LARC Learning and Academic Resource Center (University of California, Irvine) Ranch, 29890 Bouquet Canyon Road, Saugus. Athletes and peer partners will attend three local bocce competitions this spring, in addition to the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Summer Games held June 6-8 in Long Beach. One of the local competitions will be the second annual Santa Clarita Spirit Games, scheduled for May 17 at Newhall Park. No prior bocce experience is necessary to participate as a coach or Unified Partner, and participation is completely free. Those who would like to sign up to be a peer partner or assistant coach for the bocce ball program can contact the Special Olympics office at (661) 253-2121. |
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