Going for the gold at Pennsylvania Special Olympics Winter Games

SEVEN SPRINGS ― Sports enthusiasts don't have to wait until July or travel to Paris to see the Olympics. They can watch Olympic action in person at Seven Springs Mountain Resort as the annual Special Olympics Winter Games kicks off Tuesday.

Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) returns to Seven Springs Mountain Resort each winter for the annual Winter Games, which will be held from Feb. 13-15 this year.

Special Olympics provides sports training and competitions in Olympic-type sports for individuals with intellectual disabilities. It allows them to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and participate in skills and friendships with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

The athletes, coaches and volunteers from all over the state will gather to participate in three days of winter sports.

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Tom Mereen is a sports coordinator for the SOPA. He said this region has about 50 athletes and volunteers a day participating, including volunteer senior students from Rockwood Area High School and REI workers from Bedford. He said 126 athletes will be coming from across the state.

Competitions planned

Competition for snowshoes will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 14, and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 15, at the Competition Snowshoe Track in Bubly Tubing Park Area. Snoeshowing races are anywhere from 25 meters long to 1,600 meters long, and the events include relay races, Mereen said.

"Seven Springs and the Vail group have been absolutely fantastic to make sure we have snow," he said.

"The entire Seven Springs team is thrilled and deeply honored to once again host the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Winter Games. It's an incredible opportunity to celebrate the remarkable abilities, resilience, and spirit of all athletes involved,” said Brett Cook, vice president and general manager, Seven Springs Mountain Resort.

“This event embodies inclusivity, unity, and the power of sports to inspire and unite us all. We extend our deepest appreciation to everyone who has contributed to making this event possible, and we look forward to cheering on these exceptional athletes as they showcase their talents and inspire us with their achievements," he said.

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony is at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13, at Seven Springs, featuring a DJ Joseph Costa, and the official lighting of the Olympic Cauldron by athletes and members of law enforcement. Visitors are encouraged to come to the ceremony and to watch the competition on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Somerset County delegation includes: Deb Niemiec of Friedens, as head of the delegation; Sue Putman, Somerset, head snowshoe coach; and Dorothy Zimmerman, Somerset, assistant coach. The athletes are: Mike Wyant, Mount Pleasant; Christa Mereen, Bedford; Nikole Walker, Stoystown; Jessica Barley, Somerset; and Andy Sambol, Somerset.

"I am very excited to be going to the Winter Games at Seven Springs. I will get to see many friends from all across the state that I don't get to see often," Christa Mereen said. "The opening ceremony is a lot of fun, and the dance is also fun. Staying at the resort is really special, everyone there is so excited and supportive."

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Cross country skiing competitors

Because cross-country skiing is no longer offered at Special Olympics PA Winter Games, the skiers went south to participate in other competitions, said Putman.

Christa Mereen and Brian Miller, Somerset, competed in cross-country skiing at Special Olympics West Virginia's Winter Games Jan. 19 at Whitegrass and Canaan Valley, West Virginia, with athletes from Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Nate Bergstresser, Marty Mereen, Tom Mereen and Putman joined them for that event.

Snowshoeing competition

Some members of the Somerset cross-country ski and snowshoe team are also involved with SOPA Winter Games as snowshoe competition volunteers. Tom Mereen, Bedford, is the snowshoe competition director and a member of the Winter Games committee.

Nate Bergstresser, Rockwood; Shasta Wildenmann, Somerset; Jamie Deem, Somerset; and Marty Mereen, Bedford, are all competition volunteers.

New to this year’s games will be the pop-up AHN Chill Room: A Mindfulness Program. This room is brought to SOPA by the AHN Chill Project. Throughout the three-day event, there will be a drop-in educational space to help athletes refocus and perform at their best. There will be a comfortable seating area for athletes to practice breathing exercises, a quiet corner for athletes to take a moment for relaxation, a calm corner with hands-on coping skills and more.

Program grows, volunteers make a difference

"The competition is awesome. People cheering me on makes me happy. It makes me go faster," Christa Mereen said. "All of our volunteers that come out from the community, schools and REI are really good cheerleaders. Our snowshoe team at Somerset is like a family, we all look out for each other and cheer each other on."

She will be participating in the 100-meter, 200-meter and relay events.

"It's been extremely rewarding to have such a wonderful group. It's going to be an epic event," Tom Mereen said. "Special Olympics is growing every year. We're well above pre-COVID numbers."

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Athletes train year-round

He said a lot of the athletes participate in summer activities as well, which provides year-round training for them.

Christa has done many sports including equestrian, softball, track and field, bocce, floor hockey, bowling, swimming, long-distance walking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

"We trained for 10 weeks. I walk a lot – every day," she said.

Tom and his wife, Marty Mereen, have been coaching and their daughter Christa participating in Special Olympics for 25 years.

"We annually go to different events across the state," he said. "It's fun to be with people working toward the same goal."

Pride in accomplishments

Christa said she feels a sense of accomplishment after the Olympics is over.

"You asked how I feel when it is over; tired, yes, because I work very hard at training and competing, but mostly proud of myself," she said. "As my 10-year-old nephew Sam tells us 'it's good to get out of our comfort zones.' I am thankful to my coaches Sue Putman, Nate Bergstresser and Deb Niemiec."

Christa said when she was a baby, doctors told her parents that she may never walk or talk. Marty said the Special Olympics program has made a difference in the Mereen family.

"It's changed our life for the better. We've met some wonderful people," she said. "We don't know what we would have done without Special Olympics."

The family encourages the public to attend the Winter Games and support the athletes.

"Come and see what it's all about and enjoy the outdoor activity. It's real and rewarding to see them push through trials and tribulations of outdoor sports," Tom said. "We get as much out of, maybe more than, the athletes do. They are unabashedly enthusiastic. It's pure emotion. Very sincere. What you see is what you get."

Christa agrees. "What's not to like about winter? Think snow next week," she said. "Come out and see what all the fun is about."

AHN Chill Project

Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Sports Medicine experts will again provide on-site medical services for the 300 athletes competing in this year’s Special Olympics Pennsylvania Winter Games – and for the first time, they will also be joined by AHN Chill Project educators, who will provide behavioral health support and wellness activities for the athletes.

A team of athletic trainers, residents, and sports medicine primary care physicians will provide on-site medical coverage for the duration of the games, led by orthopaedic surgeon Robert Schilken, MD. As the designated medical provider for the Special Olympics in Western Pennsylvania, AHN has also been helping athletes prepare for the Winter Games by providing physical exams over the last year.

Additionally, the AHN Chill Project will host a pop-up AHN Chill Room to support the mental and emotional wellness of the Special Olympics competitors. The AHN Chill Project, now five years old, provides students across western Pennsylvania with a wide range of opportunities to learn and practice mindfulness techniques and coping skills, usually in a school-based setting. This month’s visit to Seven Springs marks the AHN Chill Project’s first trip to the Special Olympics.

The pop-up AHN Chill Room will serve as a calming space for athletes and participants to learn evidence-based coping skills, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques. Two behavioral health school educators from the AHN Chill Project will be onsite for the duration of the games to support athletes through the facilitation of a variety of educational lessons and drop-in services.

“Athletic achievement is about more than physical skill,” said William Davies, Ed.D., founder and director of the AHN Chill Project. “Whether the athletes need a moment of quiet or some help dealing with pre-event jitters, we aim to inspire resilience, confidence, and a sense of accomplishment by prioritizing both the physical and the mental well-being of these amazing athletes.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Athletes preparing for Special Olympics Winter Games at Seven Springs