Forty-three athletes, unified partners, coaches and parents from the Augusta Stars traveled to Valdosta, Oct. 7 and 8 to compete in the Special Olympics Georgia Fall Games in the sports of Bocce, Golf and Cycling.
Bocce teams play four games with different teams in order to place within their division. The Augusta Stars fielded one traditional team (all Athletes) and four unified teams (Athletes and Unified Partners). A Unified Partner is an athlete without an intellectual disability that is paired with a Special Olympian of similar age and level of skill.
The traditional team of Erica Rothwell, Stacey Yarbrough, Brandy Storey, and Mikaela Smith won the Bronze medal. Unified teams of Kim Way, Raven Allen, Amanda Soares and Ann Way; Jacob Herndon, Eric Barclay, and Donny Way; and Theresa Nixon, Chris Supulski, and Jennifer Amrhein all earned the Silver medal while the Unified team of Jessalyn Gilmore, Zach Gilmore and Kevin Enright brought home the bronze medal.
In Unified Golf, Doyle Campbell and Michael Armhein played 18 holes in order to take home Gold medals.
Cyclists can compete in up to two events: 500M, 1K, 5K, and 10K based on their ability. The Cycling team finished with 9 Gold, 8 Silver, and 5 Bronze medals:
Eric Welch 10K Silver/5K Gold
Jeffrey Keating 10K Bronze/5K Gold
Joshua Ekechukwu 10K Gold/5K Bronze
Jon Lambert 5K Silver/1K Gold
Naomi Hicks 5K Silver/1K Gold
Chris Powell 10K Silver/5K Silver
Richard Grizzard 5K Bronze/1K Silver
Tina Waters 1K Bronze/500M Gold
Izza Giboney 5K Gold/1K Gold
Corey Hudson 5K Bronze/1K Silver
Robert Norris 5K Silver/1K Gold
