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CAPE MAY COUNTY ^ ttain

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Vol. 13 No. 36

WEEK OF MARCH 15 TO MARCH 22.1979

NTERED AS THIRD CLASS MAIL PERMIT NO. IS DSTAGE PAID AT AVALON,NEW JERSEY 0S2d2

Special Olympics Come To County!

By Libby Demp Officially, seventeen v Coast Hie Special Olympics has come Guard personnel, including the to Cape May County! entire gym staff under Sr. Chief Recently more than 150 han- Boatswains Mate George Taylor, dicapped children and adults plus medical, administrative and competed in the first annual Cape training personnel were on hand. May Special Olympics Basket according to Commander ball Meet held at the Coast Guard Raymond Bland, who is in charge Training Center Gyih. of training at the base. “Some spectators nearly But, there were many unjumped out of the stands," said counted Coast Guard people who Patty Pironi, Director of the just got involved — cheering the County’s Special Olympics. kids on, plying them with soft The day was a love-in for the drinks and snacks, and giving many people who want the hugs. mentally retarded and multiply According to Patty Pironti, the handicapped to come out of the meet could never have come off if shelter of their homes and the Coast Guard hadn’t gotten

OCEAN ACADEMY STUDENTS in tbe recent midget division of the basketball meet held at the Coast Guard Training Center are assisted by Coast Guard personnel in shooting baskets. (The basketball hoop was not lowered for the midget competition.)

become competitive in basketball, skiing, swimitiing, track and field.'bowling, and other sports. SoOn, throughout the county, clinics will be conducted to teach tbe handicapped these sports and to prepare for competitions in the county, on the area level (Cape May, Cumberland & Atlantic counties), at the state level and even at the international level Where handicapped from throughout the 50 states and 30d0 foreign countries. "The basketball meet couldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the Coast Guard helping." said meet director Gina Scancella. "The coast Guard provided the facilities, equipment and instructors that gave minibasketball clinics for the kids."

involved." "TTiere wouldn’t have been a gymnasium big enough in the county to hold this kind of competition." During the awards ceremony. Captain Leo V. Dohohoe, Commanding Officer of the base, gave out the awards. Many of the yotmgsters were so touched as they came forward to receive their ribbons they raised their hands in salute to the officer. According to Ms. Pironti, state laws say handicapped children must have opportunities to engage in normal activities. But. Cape May county's handicapped did not have the opportunity because there were no sports available to them. This past winter, for the first time, 18 Cape May handicapped kids were

entered in a ski meet in Vernon Valley (northern Jersey). They received instruction and competed in a ski competition at

Great Gorge.

They competed in the Faster Downhill Relay Team coming home with six medals! In April a track and field meet, involving 500 kids, will take place. Since this is an in-/ temational year in track and field, the children competing on the county level will qualify for area level. Winners will go on to the state meet and then to the international meet at Brockport. N:Y. Every state in the country will be competing in this meet, plus*30-40 other countries. This will mark the first time Cape May County will enter the international competition. Every handicapped child at the recent Basketball meet competed in some way. The teams were cheered on by handicapped cheerleaders between the ages of five to seven years. "What we’re trying to do is develop team competition and run a weekly program that will give the kids the abilities they’ll need to function in any kind of competitive sport." said Ms. Pironti. "They’ll be divided into whatever sports interest them, and they'll be able to attend classes at different locations throughout the county. Hopefully these teams will get to the point where they can compete throughout the year."

SPECIAL OLYMPICS BASKETBALL Meet Director Gina Scancella and Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Training Center Captain Leo Donohoe congratulate one of the many competitors from the

recent competition.

For each event there will be a teacher or volunteer who will sit down with each child and help

wm m m KEEP YOUR HANDS UP is what Coast Guard instructor Bill Zepplin was teaching these competitors in the first Special Olympics Basketball Meet at the Coast Guard Training Center’s Gym.

coordinate the actual event. Pam Roberts and Judy Stamburger are coordinators of a March 31 swim meet at the Coist Guard Base: Margo Hunger is in charge of the April Track AField event: and Barbara Peacock heads a bowling^ competition scheduled

for June.

There is a great need for volunteers. So far. all of the money spent locally has come out of people's pockets, and the County Special Olympics committee is about to embark on a fundraising drive. Ann Matagicse. a Middle Township U.S. COAST GUARD PHOTO BY DEAN VALAVANIS . teacher, is fundraising chairman. Pam Roberts is assistant county director. Volunteers are asked to .contact Pattv Pironti. 121 Pearle Ave.. W Cape May. N.J. 08201. or call 884-0378 The idea of a Special Olympics started in 1968 when the Kennedy F'oundation and Chicago Park District, organized , national sports competition. Many experts said it was doomed to fail. Retarded children, they said, could never run 300 yards, swim the length of a pool, or travel byairplane a thousand miles from their homes or institutions. But the experts were wrong. Every person who competed in (Continued on Page 17)