SKATE EVENT FOR DISABLED WILL KICK OFF.Byline: Daily News VALENCIA - 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. 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. will hold its inaugural figure skating figure skating Sport in which ice skaters, singly or in pairs, perform various jumps, spins, and footwork. The figure skate blade has a special serrated toe pick, or toe rake, at the front. and speed skating speed skating Sport of racing on ice skates. The blade of the speed skate is longer and thinner than that of the hockey or figure skate. Two types of track are used in international competition. competition Sunday at Ice Station Valencia. Planned as an annual event for Santa Clarita's mentally disabled mentally disabled See Cognitively impaired. , the competition will begin at 9 a.m. with opening ceremonies, with various events scheduled until 4 p.m. The local chapter of Special Olympics initiated skating events in 2004, and Sunday's event will involve 85 athletes from nine chapters around 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, . Teams will come from Orange County, San Diego, San Bernardino, the South Bay, southeast Los Angeles and Ventura County. Forty-five athletes will compete in the figure skating events and the remainder in speed skating. Figure skating events will include singles compulsory, singles freestyle and ice dancing. Speed skating events will include 25-meter straight-away, 50-meter half-lap and 100-, 200-, 300-, 500-, 800-, 1,000- and 1,500-meter races. ``We invite the public to bring their families to our first figure skating and speed skating competition, and enjoy the day's events,'' said Chris Clark, area director for the local chapter. ``Special Olympics athletes are looking forward to their first competition of the season.'' The athletes will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals, as well as placement ribbons. Special Olympics Santa Clarita Valley currently has over 450 athletes who train and compete in 17 different sports year-round. The mission of Special Olympics Santa Clarita Valley 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. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion