SEASPAR Athletes Compete At Special Olympics Illinois

DARIEN, IL — Nineteen athletes trained by the South East Association for Special Parks And Recreation earned a combined 29 medals at the Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games in Bloomington-Normal on June 15-17. According to the organization, the Summer Games is the largest of the more than 175 Special Olympics competitions held throughout Illinois each year, and is the final state competition for Athletics (track and field), Bocce, Gymnastics, Powerlifting, Soccer, and Swimming. SEASPAR was represented in all six sports by a total of 19 athletes.

Twelve of these athletes competed in the sport of Swimming. SEASPAR said its two youngest competitors, Aidan Metzl of Woodridge and Conor Mulcahy of La Grange, both 10 years old, each earned a gold medal in their respective divisions in the 25M Backstroke event at their very first state competition.

Other swimming awards included Sam Smetko of La Grange Park who earned gold in the 50M Backstroke event. Smetko competes in the top division of this event, and with this year’s win, maintains his position as the top swimmer in this event for Special Olympics in Illinois. SEASPAR said Smetko also earned silver in the 4X100M Freestyle Relay event with teammates Mark Ploskonka and Chris Tegeler of Darien, and William Porch of Westmont. Porch also earned gold in his division of the 50M Backstroke event.

SEASPAR said its other medalists in Swimming were Nathan Buresch of Downers Grove (gold, 25M Freestyle), Adam Sikora of Lisle (bronze, 25M Breaststroke), and Daniel Smrokowski of La Grange Park (bronze, 50M Freestyle). Rounding out SEASPAR’s delegation in the sport of Swimming were Jason Grudem of Woodridge, Samantha Henderson of Naperville and Ryan McGuire of La Grange.

In powerlifting, Emily Lundvall of Westmont took gold in her division of the Bench Press and Combination events, and bronze in the Deadlift event. This was Lundvall’s fifth year competing and earning gold at Summer Games, and she set new personal bests in both Bench Press (90 pounds) and Deadlift (135 pounds). Allen Rosete of Darien, a second-time Powerlifting competitor, earned gold medals in his division of the Deadlift and Combination events, and a bronze medal in the Bench Press event. He set a new personal best in Deadlift with a lift of 135 pounds.

“I love the Summer Games,” 23-year-old Rosete said in a release. Rosete has Down syndrome and has also trained in Special Olympics Athletics, Bocce, Basketball, Bowling and Flag Football. “I love my coaches. They’re the best ever. My mom was proud of my medals.”

SEASPAR’s two Artistic Gymnastics competitors also earned multiple medals. The organization said Anna Cavallo of Downers Grove took gold in her divisions of the Balance Beam, Floor Routine, and All Around events, silver in Vault, and bronze in Uneven Bars. Kari Winter, also of Downers Grove, took gold in her divisions of the Balance Beam, Uneven Bars, and All Around events, and silver in Floor Exercise. This was both athletes’ third year competing in Level 2 Artistic Gymnastics at Summer Games.

Nate Church of La Grange participated in the soccer competition and advanced with his teammates to the championship game in their division, but it was unfortunately canceled due to extreme heat. This was the team’s sixth year qualifying for Summer Games.

SEASPAR was also represented by one competitor in Athletics (track and field). At the age of 60, Randy Naberhaus of Woodridge was the oldest athlete from SEASPAR’s region to qualify for Summer Games in this sport, and did so in the Mini Javelin and 50M Assisted Race events. According to the organization, unfortunately, the 50M Assisted Race event was canceled due to extreme heat, but Naberhaus earned a silver medal in his division of Mini Javelin.

In the sport of Bocce, SEASPAR athlete Ron Kamper of Indian Head Park earned a silver medal in the Traditional Singles event.

“Qualifying for Summer Games is an incredible feat for our Special Olympics athletes,” Matthew Corso, Executive Director of SEASPAR, said in a release. “These sports are extremely competitive, and it takes months of training – if not years – for our athletes to reach their full potential. It’s not only about building their athletic ability, but also about building their confidence to compete in front of judges, their peers, and crowds of strangers. Advancing to a state competition requires a great deal of devotion from the athletes, their families, and our coaches, and whether they end up in first place or last, we’re incredibly proud of what they achieved just to get there.”

Photos provided by SEASPAR.