By SUSAN DAVIS/For the Sentinel
EWING – The Ocean City Stingrays Swim Team competed in the New Jersey Special Olympics State Summer Games at The College of New Jersey June 5-7 against swimmers from 36 teams from throughout the state.
The athletes compete in all four major strokes in various distances, ranging from the 25-meter freestyle to the 100-meter butterfly. The competition began on Friday afternoon with Stingray swimmers showing their grit, winning 13 medals out of 14 appearances.
Friday evening, more than 2,500 athletes from throughout the state paraded into Lions Stadium led by honor guards from each county for opening ceremonies.
Following the Parade of Athletes, the final leg of the New Jersey Torch Run made its way into the stadium. New Jersey law enforcement members ran the torch through every county in New Jersey to promote acceptance and inclusion, culminating with the torch being passed to a Special Olympian representing each sport in the games, and the lighting of the giant cauldron at the stadium.
The athletes, led by one of their own, recite the Special Olympics oath, and the celebration begins. This evening, every athlete is a champion. The focus is on what they can do, not on their disability. After closing remarks, athletes enjoy dancing under the stars and a fireworks display caps off the evening.
The Stingrays began their season practicing weekly in November. They are coached by a dedicated group of volunteers led by head coach Marge Defoney, who has been at the helm for 17 years. Athletes work hard developing their skills using various techniques to improve strokes, starts, turns and stamina. All that hard work paid off as the 22 swimmers participating in the Summer Games brought home 51 medals, earning 16 gold, 28 silver and seven bronze. Many of the races were extremely close with the medal winners determined by a fraction of a second.
“Our swimmers are very dedicated,” Defoney said. “Each swimmer continues to challenge themselves to improve and displays good sportsmanship at practices and competitions. Many of our competitors had their personal best times in their events during Summer Games. Our Stingray team members clearly display how much they enjoy the lifetime sport of swimming.”
This year the Stingrays are proud to have one of their teammates participating in the Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis, Minn. USA Games are held every four years with competition among all 50 states. Daniel Hendrixson will be competing in the 100-meter backstroke, 50-meter freestyle and the 4×50 medley relay for Team New Jersey. Daniel said he was “a little bit nervous” about going to the USA Games because “I’ve not been to this location before.”
The Stingrays wish Daniel and the entire Team New Jersey well in this competition.
The team is most grateful for the continued support of Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian, Community Services Director Daniel Kelchner and Aquatic and Fitness Center Director Lisa Rumer.
“The Ocean City Stingrays is a fantastic program and an asset for our community,” Kelchner said. “Having such a longstanding program that provides high-quality swim instruction and social/recreational opportunities for our adaptive athletes is just another thing that makes Ocean City and our community so special.” Staff members, coaches, parents, family and friends have all contributed to the success of the Ocean City Stingrays.
