Lake County Special Olympians excel at State Winter Games

Posted February 15, 2017 5:00 am

Special Recreation Association of Lake County submission

SRACLC Special Olympian Chris Walti sprints the 100-meter snowshoe race at the State Winter Games Tournament at Chestnut Mountain in Galena. Courtesy of the Special Recreation Association of Lake County

Nine Special Olympics snowshoers from the Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County traveled to Chestnut Mountain in Galena on Feb. 7 for the State Winter Games Tournament.

The SRACLC Crusaders competed in races ranging from 50 meters to 1600 meters and a 4-by-100-meter relay. On the first day of the tournament SRACLC relay teams both took home the gold in their divisions.

"It was a great kick off to the event and really got things moving for the rest of the tournament," coach Kelly Smith said of the relay results.

On the second day, the Crusaders were able to secure two second place finishes. Maggie Filipiak of Hawthorn Woods took home silver in the 50-meter sprint by finishing the race in just over 18 seconds. Kyle Tuckey of Lake Zurich ran an 8:57 mile, a personal best and also good for the silver medal.

On the following day Julie Sage of Libertyville and Jennifer Rockstroh of Hawthorn Woods ran top speeds for gold in the 200 meter races, at 2:17 and 2:01 respectively, and Kyle Tuckey ran a 4:11 800 meter for the win. The 100-meter race was another competitive one for the Crusaders. Tony Maurizo of Lake Zurich, at 31.71; Katie Millar of Mundelein, at 34.33; and Chris Walti from Libertyville, at 26.25, all ran fast races and received second place silver medals for their outstanding performances.

Overall the SRACLC team won gold in five races and silver in seven races.

"Coming home from Winter Game with eight medalists was an exceptional way to finish our very successful snowshoeing season," SRACLC Recreation Manager Kelly Smith said.

Including snowshoeing, SRACLC offers 13 different Special Olympics training programs throughout the year as well as a variety of recreational programs for individuals of all ages with disabilities. Coming this spring, SRACLC will begin training for Special Olympics bocce, soccer, track and field, softball, and tennis. SRACLC is always seeking new athletes and coaches. For more information visit www.sraclc.org, or call (847) 816-4866.

Julie Sage runs the 200-meter snowshoe at the Special Olympics State Winter Games. Courtesy of the Special Recreation Association of Lake County

Jennifer Rockstroh finishes the 200-meter race at the Special Olympics State Winter Games Tournament. Courtesy of the Special Recreation Association of Lake County

The SRACLC Special Olympics snowshoeing team at the opening ceremonies of the State Winter Games Tournament in Galena. Courtesy of the Special Recreation Association of Lake County

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