January 21, 2013

Special Olympic Games - let the packing begin!

Alex leaves Thursday morning at 9 AM from Denver. She is beside herself excited and can not wipe the smile off her face. Truly I have never seen her so grown-up before. She is confident and poised, I am nervous and scattered with everything that needs to be done in the next two days.

We have made the Walmart run and the TEAM USA clothing has all been altered. Apparently our kids with down syndrome have shorter arms than the rest of the world (I knew this) and a couple of hundred dollars later Alex's team uniforms match her arm length.


The dining room table is laid out by bag:
  • Boot/Helmet bag
  • Ski/Poles bag
  • Carry-on backpack
  • Carry-on duffle
  • Large rolling duffle


The Special Olympics has done a great job of communicating as has our State Office. All of my questions have been answered and  I am ready to send my 19 year old daughter with down syndrome to Asia. I never thought I would ever ever see the day that Alex could be this accomplished, but I should have suspected. Alex is her own person, just like me and just like her siblings, the world is her oyster, not mine.

Here is the latest e-newsletter from Special Olympics Team USA for those who have asked about following Alex:


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This is a very exciting week! The athletes, Unified partners and coaches are looking forward to the largest sporting competition of their lives. It is almost time to showcase their many months of preparation, equipment checks, and team bonding. During the next couple of weeks, we will send regular updates from the Special Olympics 2013 World Winter Games. We encourage you to check out the important links below so you can help cheer on the Team!  
On Thursday, January 24th, the entire team will travel to Los Angeles, Calif. for a very special send-off reception at the Crowne Plaza. On Friday, January 25th, delegation members will be headed to Seoul, Republic of Korea. Here is a basic schedule of the team's time in the Republic of Korea.  
January 26 - January 29 - Host Town Program - Cultural Experiences
January 29 - Opening Ceremonies
January 30 - February 5 - Competition
February 5 - Closing Ceremonies 
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, the athletes and coaches will transition from state to sport mode: they no longer represent just their state, they will represent the entire United States! Based on the performance and camaraderie at training camp in Lake Placid, New York, America should already be incredibly proud of this team. From the floor hockey teams in southern California and Nebraska, to the alpine skiers from the Northeast. and everyone in between, this Team is ready.  
Please continue to follow the Team and share your enthusiasm. 
GO USA!
Important Links
There are a number of ways for you to follow Special Olympics Team USA. Here is a list of important links to help you get the most up to date information from the Special Olympics 2013 World Winter Games. 

4 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, this is SO exciting!! I will definitely follow their progress!

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  2. Oh my oh my oh my!@!!!! I am so "be-cited" as Jessie used to say when she was little. What an amazing brilliant adventure. What a marking of a passage. Bravo Alex. Bravo Gary! Thinking of you .... and of those little birds flying away at the top right hand corner of your blog page!

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  3. Thanks for the update. Jim and I were just talking about how we could follow the games. I love all the links. Alex is going to have an awesome time. It is just so hard sometimes to let them go..........

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