The Special Olympics Winter Games drew 876 athletes this year to compete in six different sports.
ANN ARBOR, MI – Washtenaw County athletes were among nearly 900 competitors who gathered for Michigan’s Special Olympics Winter Games in the Traverse City area last week.
The annual competition drew 876 athletes this year to compete in six different sports: alpine skiing, cross country skiing, figure skating, snowboarding, snowshoeing and speed skating.
The Winter Games – which ran from Tuesday, Jan. 30 to Friday, Feb. 2 – is open to people age 8 and older who have an intellectual disability, a cognitive delay or a developmental disability.
The event is funded by Wertz Warriors, a snowmobiling group founded by former Detroit Tiger Vic Wertz to raise money for the Michigan Special Olympics Winter Games.
Area 20, which includes Washtenaw County, sent several athletes, their coaches and chaperones to the Winter Games last week.
Below is a list of area athletes and how they placed in each event, listed in alphabetical order by school/team. Independent athletes are listed at the end.
Ann Arbor Ice Cube team – Coaches Mary Johanson and Krista Diephuis
Tess Gompper, 15: unified freestyle figure skating.
Gwenyth M. Guidinger, 14: singles compulsory figure skating – second place in her division; singles freestyle figure skating – first place in her division.
Alexander Meints, 16: singles compulsory figure skating – first place in his division; singles freestyle figure skating – first place in his division.
Patricia Quelhas, 24: singles compulsory figure skating – first place in her division; singles freestyle figure skating – first place in her division.
Teodora Spremo, 23: singles freestyle figure skating – third place in her division; singles compulsory figure skating – second place in her division.
Jacob Stephenson, 20: unified freestyle figure skating.
Miranda Underwood, 13: singles compulsory figure skating – first place in her division; singles freestyle figure skating – first place in her division.
Chelsea – Coaches Katy Fillion and Maryjo Stofflet
Tyler Baxter, 22: 25m snowshoe; 50m snowshoe – second place in his division; 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – first place in their division.
Madline Cerveny, 18: 50m snowshoe – fourth place in her division; 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – first place in their division; 25m snowshoe.
Lee Chambers, 34: 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – first place in their division; 50m snowshoe; 25m snowshoe.
Zakary Cobb, 17: 25m snowshoe; 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – first place in their division; 50m snowshoe.
Anthony Cossentino, 22: 25m snowshoe; 50m snowshoe – first place in his division; 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – second place in their division.
Nicole (Sierra) Curts, 20: 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – first place in her division; 25m snowshoe; 50m snowshoe – first place in her division.
Melody Erskine, 18: 50m snowshoe – second place in her division; 25m snowshoe; 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – first place in her division.
Jason Federoff Jr, 18: 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – second place in their division; 50m snowshoe – fourth place in his division; 25m snowshoe.
Roy Marchetti, 19: 25m snowshoe; 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – first place in their division; 50m snowshoe – fourth place in his division.
Amy Martzloff, 27: 25m snowshoe – second place in her division; 50m snowshoe – second place in her division.
Steven McDonald, 31: 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – first place in their division; 25m snowshoe; 50m snowshoe – second place in his division.
Kersch Ray, 20: 25m snowshoe – fourth place in his division; 50m snowshoe – third place in his division.
Noureddine Rizka, 25: 50m snowshoe – first place in his division; 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – second place in their division.
Benjamin Vanneste, 20: 4 x 100m showshoe relay – second place in their division; 25m snowshoe; 50m snowshoe – third place in his division.
Grant Young, 19: 25m snowshoe – second place in his division; 50m snowshoe – first place in his division.
Aref Abdeljaber, 16: 500m cross country skilling – third place for his age division; and 250m cross country skiing – third place in his division.
Muhammad Abdur-Rauf, 18: 500m cross country skiing – second place in his age division; and 250m cross country skiing – second place in his age division.
Eljah Endres, 17: 50m cross country skiing – third place in his division.
Cameron Mann-Yoder, 18: 250m cross country skiing – fourth place in his division; 500m cross country skiing – second place in his division.
Victoria Parker, 15: 50m snowshoe – fourth place in her division; 25m snowshoe – first place in her division.
Kameron Reese, 15: 50m cross country skiing – second place in his division.
Brandon Ward, 16: 250m cross country skiing – first place in his division; 50m cross country skiing – second place in his division.
Christina Watson, 17: 500m cross country skiing – second place in her division; 250m cross country skiing – first place in her division.
Kieyane Williams, 16: 25m snowshoe – second place in her division; 50m snowshoe – third place in her division.
Kevin Yan, 16: 100m snowshoe; 25m snowshoe; 50m snowshoe – sixth place in his division; 100m snowshoe – fifth place in his division.
Pioneer High School – Coaches Terry Weaver, Gail Einhaus, John Conley and Wendy Boyle
Anas Abdeljalil, 17: intermediate level of alpine skiing on the slalom – second place in his division; intermediate level of alpine skiing on Super G – third place in his division.
Jae-hee Ahn, 19: novice level alpine slalom.
Matthew Angell, 16: 4 x 100m snowshoe relay – first place in their division; 100m snowshoe – first place in his division.
Donald Armstrong, 21: 100m snowshoe – second place in his division; 25m snowshoe; 50m snowshoe – second place in his division.
Michelle Boyle, 21: alpine skiing on the giant slalom; alpine skiing on the unified slalom – second place in her division.
Sam Bunsis, 21: 50m snowshoe – third place in his division; 25m snowshoe; 100m snowshoe – second place in his division.
John Coury, 20: 250m cross country skiing – fifth place in his division; 100m cross country skiing.
David Diaz, 22: 100m snowshoe; 25m snowshoe; 50m snowshoe – third place in his division.
Jessica Dodge, 22: 100m snowshoe; 200m snowshoe – second place in her division.
Mark Einhaus, 18: intermediate level of alpine skiing on the giant slalom; intermediate level of alpine skiing on the unified slalom – third place in his division.
