Ten members of the Augusta Stars, a Special Olympics Georgia agency, represented Georgia in the sport of Bocce at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Summer Games in Orlando June 5-12.
Team Georgia athletes were Cindy Isbell, Kim Way, Gary Smith and Chris Supulski. The Unified Partners were Jennifer Amrehein, Ann Way, Donny Way and Greg Stoll with coaches Penny Barclay and Kevin Enright, according to an email from Jeff Keating, a volunteer with the Augusta Stars.
During the week, Team Georgia competed against athletes and unified partners from across the United States including South Dakota, Mississippi, Arizona, South Carolina and Massachusetts. Most games were close and came down to a one or two point difference in scores.
For the singles competition, each athlete competed in different divisions against five other athletes. Over a two-day singles competition, Isbell took the silver; Supulski, fourth; Kim Way, fifth; and Smith, sixth.
Team Georgia Bocce competed in the unified doubles’ competition. In unified competitions, an athlete without an intellectual disability is paired with a Special Olympian of similar age and level of skill.
In the unified doubles, Smith and Donny Way took the silver, Isbell and Amrehein took bronze; Supulski and Stoll, fifth; and Kim Way and Ann Way, sixth.
On the final day of competition, the Unified Teams went to work. Two teams, an all-male team and an all-female team were fielded. Both teams placed fifth in their divisions.
“It was a week filled with new experiences for everyone, lots of walking, hot days, making new friends and learning that determination pays off,” Keating said.
