Friday, June 20, 2014
Final Flight Information for Return Trip
 

Team Illinois will return to the Land of Lincoln from the 2014 USA Games in New Jersey on Saturday. Arrival times have changed slightly for the Cessna flights arriving into Image Air at 2933 E. Empire St., Bloomington. The flights begin arriving at 11:05 a.m. Saturday and all will be on the ground by 11:27 a.m.   

At this time, there are no changes for the crew going commercial through Midway. They will return at 8 p.m.

 

Only people listed on the Athlete Release form will be allowed to pick up athletes at either airport.

Thanks to All the Coaches and Families
Who Made USA Games So Special!
 

With the conclusion of the USA Games on Friday, we'd like to thank all the Team Illinois coaches who made the Games an amazing experience for the athletes and their families:

  • Aquatics - Miranda Henson and Becky Good
  • Athletics - Sheri Izban, Ben Berg and Chris Reffett
  • Bocce - Leonard Woodson
  • Bowling - Matt Corso
  • Golf - Vicki Mann, Lisa Wisniewski and Glen Marks
  • Gymnastics - Jennifer Hitt
  • Powerlifting - Sean Tovey
  • Unified Soccer - Megan Clodi, David Luzwick and Juan LaVerde
  • Volleyball - Hannah Sheets and Amy Longmore

And, speaking of families, we want to send a big shout out to all the families who made the trip to New Jersey to cheer on their athletes and all those in Team Illinois. Your support was unbelievable and we know the athletes appreciated your presence!

Competition Updates

 
Results from Friday:

 

Volleyball:

  • Illinois team remained undefeated after playing Pennsylvania and received the Gold

Aquatics:

  • Caleb Crede - Silver in 25-yard breaststroke; 4th Place in 50-yard backstroke
  • Craig Dillaplain - Bronze in 50-yard freestyle; Bronze in 50-yard backstroke
  • Georgia Hunter - 4th Place in 100-yard breaststroke
  • Rikki Kirsch - Gold in 50-yard freestyle
  • Tamara Parks - Silver in 50-yard butterfly; Bronze in 50-yard freestyle; Gold in 25-yard breaststroke
  • Jacob Tillery - Participation Ribbon in 500-yard freestyle
  • Caroline, Georgia, Alex & Jacob - Gold in 4x50-yard medley relay

 

Unified Soccer:

  • N.J.-Rowan beat Illinois 3-0; Illinois received 4th Place

Bowling:

  • Amanda, Emilee, Scott & Blake - Silver in team competition
 
Other Highlights:
  • SOILL athlete and recording artist Breanna Bogucki, who goes by the stage name Breanna Alyssa, performed at Olympic Town on Thursday and Friday. Breanna welcomed the athletes from Team Illinois on Friday and welcomed them to come on stage to sing and dance with her as she sang her single "I Was Born Yesterday."

  • 2014 Youth Summit participants Kate O'Connell and Katey Davis from Unit 5 Schools in Normal presented on the Project UNIFY programs they have done at a Project UNIFY Youth Summit Expo Friday at Lawrenceville School. The purpose of the Expo was to educate Special Olympics Program executives and leaders about Project UNIFY, said Kathleen O'Connell, coordinator of Unit 5's Project UNIFY program.

  • Photos from Thursday and Friday competition. More photos to be posted in coming days.

Get Social!

USA Games Mobile App
 
Get up-to-date information on the fly with the USA Games mobile app. The App is available for download from the event website at https://www.2014specialolympics.org, by pointing your mobile browser to http://m.core-apps.com/2014usagames or by searching for Special Olympics in the Apple App Store or Google Play on your devices.
 
View Photos from the Games
 
Team Illinois photos are being uploaded to the Special Olympics Illinois Flickr account each night. They can be viewed at https://www.flickr.com/photos/specialolympicsillinois/sets/
 
Games Handles & Tags
 
These are the official Games social media handles and tags: 2014 USA Games hash tag is #2014USAGames; Twitter - tag @2014USAGames; Facebook - tag https://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsUSAGames; Instagram - tag @2014SpecialOlympicsUSAGames.
 
Schedules, Family Handbook
 
The general competition schedules are posted on the USA Games page of our the SOILL website, along with the special events schedule and family handbook. Please make yourself familiar with this information, whether your're attending the Games or following from home.
 
Games competition schedules and results will be posted to the Games' website daily and in the Families Room at Holiday Inn East Windsor. This will be the best way for those attending or following the Games to get the next day's competitions schedules (posted in the evening) and that day's results. We will also highlight Illinois competition we know is coming up the next day through this newsletter.
Team Contact Information
 
If you have questions about Team Illinois, please direction them to the appropriate person:
Brianna Beers - Head of Delegation, 847-845-6481 
Carolyn Klocek - Assistant Head of Delegation, 920-988-2838
Karen Milligan - Family Coordinator, 309-532-4950
Kim Riddering - Additional Staff, 847-626-5809
Michele Evans - Media Coordinator, 309-660-8497 

 

Thanks to Our Sponsors!
Contact:
Michele Evans, Director of Communications
605 E. Willow St., Normal, IL  |  Cell: 309-660-8497
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