My Last Day - Closing Ceremony

Friday was a more relaxing day. My parents took me and my friend, Michelle, to the Healthy Athletes Forum again. I visited "Healthy Eyes" where they fitted me for new glasses and helped me pick out new frames. When the glasses are finished, they will mail them to Special Olympics Maryland and they will send them to me. (all for free) The doctors and nurses were really helpful and nice to us. I also went to "Fun Fitness" where I learned how to stretch and exercise better. They gave me some good pointers and a green stretching band to exercise with. The volunteers there were a lot of fun! My friend went to get her teeth cleaned and they had 50 dentist chairs set up in rows with 50 dentists and hygienists from all over the country who volunteered their time to help us athletes out. It was a great place where we all became physically stronger and felt special.

Friday, my two boy teammates bowled singles and did a great job! I was very proud of them. They are so much fun.

The Closing Ceremony was very emotional for me. I am very tired, but the memories I have made and the things I have learned will last forever!! I loved everything about this past week... I loved meeting new people; I loved bowling so many times; I loved standing on the podium and getting medals with my new friends; I loved my coach and teammates; I loved the music and the dances; I loved the dorms and the cafeteria; I loved the Olympic Town; I loved the athletes from the other states (Did I mention that 48 states were there?); I loved the nice people of Lincoln, Nebraska; I loved all those who helped me do my best; I loved the Olympic torch and flame; I loved hearing the National Anthem sung and our United States flag flying high; I loved the "raise this flag" song about the Special Olympics flag, and I LOVE TEAM MARYLAND!! The flame was put out on the torch, but they gave EVERYONE in the stadium a 'torch' lite-stick that we held high as we swayed back and forth. It means that we will hold our flame / torch high as we go home and it also means we will do our very best forever!!

Saturday morning we went by bus to Omaha and then flew to St. Louis. We arrived home at 8:30 pm. Banners were waiting and so were my parents and my best friend, Hawkeye!

I am grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity!
What is my next goal???
Back to the Olympics in 4 years!

Thursday's Events - July 22nd

On Thursday, it was Team Competition. My team, Michelle, Carlos and Kegan have become my very good friends. We played hard as a team and came away with a 5th place. The awards ceremony was really neat because all four of us got to stand on the podium together. My coach took us to Panera Bread for dinner and that was a lot of fun. It has been a lot of hard work, but it is worth it!!

Pictures... (more to come)

My Health, My Medals, My Fans!!

Special Olympics does an amazing thing called.... "Healthy Athletes!" we only had time to visit two stations today, but will do more on Friday. There were volunteer doctors and nurses and assistants from all over Nebraska to help us become healthy. I went to "Healthy Feet" and they checked my feet, gave me some 'no tie' shoelaces, and some new cool venting socks. What was really neat is the volunteers (doctors, nurses, etc.) were all on their knees or behinds, serving our feet!! The second station I went to was "Healthy Hearing." They checked my ears, gave me a hearing test in a sound proof booth (they had several set up) and would have fitted and paid for hearing aids had I needed them. My friend went to the "Healthy Smile" station and she will go back on Friday for free teeth cleaning, and a filling. Some athletes received free prescription glasses and even orthodics for their feet. Other stations include, "Healthy Nutrition" and "FunFitness." This is such a nice place with SO MANY giving people!!I have been so busy, I am sorry I haven't written. My pictures will be posted tomorrow morning, because the camera battery died. My parents just take too many pictures!

Yesterday, I bowled the singles event. It was exciting as we sang the National Anthem and held our hands over our hearts. Then the games began. I tried my hardest for all three games. Last night was the awards ceremony and I was honored to stand on the podium and to have the beautiful, 7th place medal placed around my neck. It made me cry and the applause was deafening!!

Today, I bowled doubles with my teammate, Michelle. Again, we tried our very hardest for all three games. Tonight was the awards ceremony and I again was honored to stand on the podium and to have the amazing 5th place medal placed around my neck. I cried again and the cheering was amazing!!

Special Olympics does an amazing thing called.... "Healthy Athletes!" we only had time to visit two stations today, but will do more on Friday. There were volunteer doctors and nurses and assistants from all over Nebraska to help us become healthy. I went to "Healthy Feet" and they checked my feet, gave me some 'no tie' shoelaces, and some new cool venting socks. What was really neat is the volunteers (doctors, nurses, etc.) were all on their knees or behinds, serving our feet!! The second station I went to was "Healthy Hearing." They checked my ears, gave me a hearing test in a sound proof booth (they had several set up) and would have fitted and paid for hearing aids had I needed them. My friend went to the "Healthy Smile" station and she will go back on Friday for free teeth cleaning, and a filling. Some athletes received free prescription glasses and even orthodics for their feet. Other stations include, "Healthy Nutrition" and "FunFitness." This is such a nice place with SO MANY giving people!!

All my family and friends are so supportive. Thank you!! My cousin, Travis and Carrie, even sent me a 'goodies' basket to my dorm room with a balloon. I WAS SO SURPRISED! Thank you Travis and Carrie for supporting me!! I love it!!

Fun Pictures...

Olympic Village

After the big games this morning, it was fun to unwind and relax at the Olympic Village with my roommate, Michelle. First, we sang karaoke and I chose Alan Jackson's song "Don't Rock the Juke Box." We sang in front of lots of people and had a blast!! Then we saw a show of dancers and sign language singers. The song that touched me the most was a song by Josh Groben, "You Build Me Up." They were really good and had special needs, too. It was very hot today and so my father bought us Special Olympic umbrellas to help keep us cool and shade us from the sun. I love my father so much! Then, we made fans and bracelets at the craft tables. The last thing we did at the village was shop at the souvenir store. This was a full day, so I was ready to go to dinner at the dining hall for athletes and coaches. We ate as a bowling team and made preparations for tomorrow's upcoming events.

Qualifying - Monday

Today, as we entered the bowling alley for our first 'official' game (qualifiers), the announcer said... "Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the 2010 National Olympic Bowling Athletes." All the volunteers, spectators, and teams cheered to the music of "Celebration" as we got off our bus and entered the lanes. We bowled our very best... my parents were on the bleachers behind Lane 21 cheering us on! I just couldn't believe it.... I scored my Personal Best by two pins on my third game!! It was a great experience for us all!!

The Torch

Double click on this picture and you will see the torch being brought in.
Pretty Cool!

The picture at the right is of my sister just after they lit the torch!! Retired State Troopers have been running with it in over 70 cities from Iowa to Lincoln, Nebraska!

Opening Ceremony

Go to lincolnjournal.com
and
sunvalleylanes.com for the latest information. (Alisa was on lane 21 today and you should be able to follow her scores at the Sunvalley sight.)
The Opening Ceremony yesterday was overwhelming for me. I called my family in tears because I was so proud to be at the Special Olympics where I am trying my very best. The Parade of 3000 Athletes took about 1 1/2 hours. Each state was introduced by the local news team, music, fog machines, and BIG, colorful spotlights all over the stadium. Each state had on their own team colors and hats just like the the regular Olympic games. Team Maryland wore red and black shirts with Maryland crab hats! We looked really cool!! The program was so exciting. Lots of great singers, bands, speakers, and even a few movie stars. I felt proud to walk in with my GREAT STATE OF MARYLAND!!

My parents and my sister arrived and came to see me practice. I was calm, focused on the pins, and did my best. My score looked pretty good, so I am looking forward to the qualifiers tomorrow. I brought my Book of Mormon with me to the Sun Valley Bowling lanes so I could try and feel the spirit more. I am listening to my good church music, too. My three other Team Maryland Teammates are so much fun and I love Coach Jason! He works very hard to keep us having fun, be on time, and helping us get to the right place. It is more humid here in Nebraska than in Maryland. When my birth mother walked out of the grocery store, her glasses fogged up. It was still that hot at 11:30 pm.

Today at 3:00 is the Opening Ceremony!! We will walk in with all of the Maryland athletes wearing matching clothes. We will come in alphabetical order. The Special Olympics athletes are so happy to be here and so happy to have this opportunity to share our sports and talents. We are trading pins with other states and then we put them on our lanyard. That is really fun and I am getting to know people from all over the United States of America!! !I am SO happy!!
(Thanks for reading my blog, I have so many in my family and so many friends who support me. Thank you and I love you all!!)

Rollin' Down the Runway

I was a little nervous, but excited. I packed all my things and I had to roll a lot of my clothes so they would fit into my bag. I was surprised how much could fit. When I arrived at BWI at 11:00 am (2 hours early), I saw a big group in yellow shirts gathered in front of the Southwest counter. Sure enough, it was my fellow TEAM MARYLAND! I didn't know one person, but I am trying to meet new people. They gave me my yellow shirt and I joined the group for pictures and cheering of the fans! As we walked away to the gate, they all cheered with Maryland flags, banners, and red and white pom poms. I get to take my special rolling bowling bag my brother gave me that carries my ball, shoes, glove, and towel, on the plane with me.

We boarded the plane and headed to St. Louis. They even fed us a free lunch. Did I mention that Team Maryland pays for my entire trip? Go, Special Olympics! After one hour, we then boarded a new plane to Omaha, Nebraska. We took a fancy bus to Lincoln and found our dorms. My roommate is Michelle, who is the other girl on the bowling team. We had dinner, visiting, and got all our things put away. Dinner was pizza down in the first floor of the dorm. I am tired.

I would have to say that one of my favorite things of my day was seeing the Winter Quarters Temple. I called my birth mother and said, "You will never believe this.... they have a temple over here, too." Seeing the temple made me feel less nervous and peaceful. When my Dad gave me a father's blessing before I left, I felt the same way.

Final Practice

First training today was walking to the grocery store and back. Then it was off to the bowling alley for my final practice before I leave on Friday. I tried out my new yellow bowling shirt and it fits perfect. I missed beating my highest score by only two points. (But I beat my birth mother by 23 points.) Great game to start my adventure this weekend. Only two more days!

Shopping for the Games

Today I will be going shopping for sun glasses, an extra pair of shoes, and some personal items. On Friday, when I get to the airport, my coach will have a special t-shirt for us all to wear.
Only three more days...

Pep Rally in New Market, MD

Ben and Tara (my brother and sister) gave me a Pep Rally with balloons last night to wish me luck. We had yummy chicken salad sandwiches, homemade blueberry dessert, and homemade ice cream. I opened my Special Olympics Duffel Bag and discovered 3 bowling shirts, 2 t-shirts, one TEAM shirt, two hand towels, trading pins, and an awesome hat. I LOVE TEAM MARYLAND!! Five more days...