Athletes ‘ready to go’ for Special Olympics

Submitted photo

The Somerset County Special Olympics snowshoe team poses during their invitational Jan. 26. In the front row are Richard Sanchez, Wasimul Malick, Jessica Barley and Christa Mereen. In the back row are, Tyler Fleegle, John Meyers, Brian Miller and winter games management team member Sue Putman.

Somerset County athletes have their eyes set on Seven Springs Mountain Resort as the 43rd annual Special Olympics Pennsylvania Winter Games is only days away.

More than 300 athletes and 135 coaches plan to be at the mountain resort Feb. 9 for three days of winter sporting events. Athletes compete in alpine skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding and other sports.

Special Olympics management team member Sue Putman said eight Somerset County residents will be competing in the snowshoe and cross-country skiing events this year.

“We started practicing right after Thanksgiving,” she said. “So we’re pretty ready. Everybody’s geared up.”

Somerset County hosted a special invitational at Seven Springs last Sunday with Armstrong, Indiana and Beaver counties. Putman said they used the exact same courses and volunteers being used for the winter games.

“We had 25 athletes on Sunday,” she said. “At winter games there will be close to 100 snowshoers.”

Somerset County snowshoer Jessica Barley will be competing. The 38-year-old athlete said there’s a lot of work that goes into preparing for the games.

“We go for hikes and we walk with snowshoes to get used to wearing them,” she said. “Once we get used to them, we’re pretty much ready to go.”

Barley has been to the Special Olympics six times. At Sunday’s invitational, Barley received two second- and one first-place award.

Barley said it’s mostly about having fun.

“I try though, as hard as I can,” she said.

Putman would like to see more snow, at least a foot of it for the games. The volunteers had to work around weather concerns because there was not enough snow on the ground.

“One year we’ve been able to hold the cross-country the way it should be done, and the other times we try to figure it out,” she said.

This is Putman’s 26th year with the event. She said that she, her athletes and the volunteers are ready.

“If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t still be doing it.” she said.

The Opening Ceremony is at 7:30p.m. Feb. 9 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort Festival Plaza. The ceremony and lighting of the Olympic cauldron is open to the public.