Bethlehem Teams Win 25 Medals at
Villanova Olympic Fall Festival
November 17, 2009 – The Bethlehem Special Olympics teams came away with 25 medals won
during the 21st annual Villanova University all Pennsylvania Olympic Fall Festival. Represented
by 38 athletes, 10 coaches and a multitude of volunteers and parents, the Bethlehem teams
competed against teams from 36 other counties from the state.
Everyone was a winner
Artistic Roller Skating
Winning Gold medals in Artistic Roller Skating were Joni Talavera, three Gold Medals; Kathy
Lindgren, two Gold Medals and one Silver Medal; MaryLou Hann, one Gold Medal, one Silver
Medal, and one Bronze Medal; and Simone Williams, one Gold Medal and one Bronze Medal.
Coach Barb Xander of Skate-A-Way on William Penn Highway, Bethlehem Township worked
with each athlete since March, honing each performance to perfection.
Power Lifting
Also winning Gold medals were the “Wolfpack” Power Lifters. Michael Gaal, 148 lb class, lifted
150 lbs to win the Gold in Bench Press. He also won Silver in the Combined Total of all lifts.
Chris Spairana, 148 lb class, dead lifted 305 lbs. to win the Gold Medal and beat out Michael
Gaal for the Combined Total Gold. He also won a Silver Medal in Bench Press. Kyle Miller, 181 lb
class, won the Bench Press Gold Medal with a lift of 215 lbs, won Silver in the Dead Lift and won
a second Gold Medal in the 181 lb. class Combined Total Lift. Craig Maurer, 198 lb class, was
the biggest winner, taking home four medals. He won Gold with a 165 lb. Bench Press and Gold
for Combined Total Lifts for his weight class. He also won a Silver Medal in the Squat Lift and
Bronze in the Dead lift. Head coach Nick Theodorou said of Craig’s efforts, “Craig was the only
one to squat. Despite the very strict judging, Craig came through like a champion to make his
third lift of 145 pounds.” Assistant coaches for the Power Lifters were Barry Gaal, Mike Kuhns,
Don Kuhns and Barry Pensyl. Coach Theodorou was very pleased with the efforts of all his
athletes, “We went "12 for 12" in the bench press competition making all of our allotted
attempts. Kyle Miller was a top bencher making a strong 215 on his third attempt. We made "7
of 12" deadlifts with Chris Spairana stealing the show with a terrific 305 pound lift on his second
attempt just missing 315 on his third attempt while only weighting 144!”
Volleyball
Competing in a tough division, including Berks and Delaware counties, the Bethlehem City
“Spikers” fought hard and won the Silver Medal. Coached by Heather Pavlinsky, the team
consisted of Meagan Bickel, Duane Brown, Greg Werner, Jonathan Urban, Matthew Hutnik,
Kathy Batz, Shannon Stout and Joey Robb. Delighted with her team’s performance, coach
Pavlinsky said, “We won the silver medal in our division against a great team and all the players
excelled in their performances. In particular, the team overcame many adversities both
medically and physically challenged to their athletic abilities. Megan Bickel demonstrated her
ability to dig deep and serve the ball over the net on a consistent basis. Kudos to all for a great
team effort, and to Brenda Hutnick, my ever-endearing assistant coach, who was there when I
needed her most.”
Soccer
Bethlehem sent two soccer teams to the competition, an eleven-player team (11v11) and
seven-player team (7v7). It was a grueling schedule for both teams. They played two games on
Friday, three on Saturday and two championship games on Sunday morning. Both teams were
amazing. In this writer’s opinion, every athlete was a champion. They ran up and down the field
continuously, trying for shots on goal and blocking the competition from getting near their goal.
Some of the athletes are physically handicapped as well as intellectually challenged, yet that
didn’t stop them from running, kicking and running some more.
The 11v11 team won the Bronze Medal and the 7v7 team finished fourth. Nevertheless, both
teams deserved Gold for the effort, enthusiasm and skill they showed. As President Obama
said, speaking about Eunice Kennedy Shriver, these athletes, “as much as anyone, taught our
nation — and our world — that no physical or mental barrier can restrain the power of the
human spirit."
The 11v11 team, coached by Donna Boyle, is made up of Brandon Kreckler, Chris Wasiewicz,
Kasey Brehm, Luis Cancel, Jordon Rodriequez, Matthew Lawson, Douglas Boyle, Kathryn
Delmore, Mike Bartek, David Jimenez, Josh Weirbach, Nathan Boyle, Mike Mainero. Assistant
coaches are Jorge Cancel and Jeff Lawson. Bonnie Kuronya, assisted by Bob Siemon and Dolores
Sobol, coaches the 7v7 team. The team members are Heather Gold, Natalie Wilkins, Matthew
Siemon, Megan Hrycyszyn, Zarrah Vitale, Kelsey Grom, Dedra Sobol, Juliana Sorris, Tabitha
Roman-Dawkins and Steven Kucey.
About Villanova’s annual Fall Festival
More than 1,000 athletes, students and adults, and 400 coaches converged at Villanova
University for the three-day event on the weekend of November 6-8. The largest annual
student-run Special Olympics event in the world, 3,000 volunteers were coordinated by an 82member student committee gathered for a weekend of sportsmanship and camaraderie.
Athletes with intellectual or physical disabilities competed in soccer, volleyball, roller-skating,
powerlifting, bocce and long distance running events.
The Villanova students as well as students from other area schools not only coordinated the
weekend, which included Friday-night opening ceremonies, but served as cheerleaders during
the sporting events. Many held handmade signs as they enthusiastically rooted for the various
delegations. Other students operated club-sponsored booths at Olympic Town, a festival on the
campus’ Quad that included games, crafts, music and appearances from Darth Vader and other
“Star Wars” characters.
About Bethlehem Special Olympics
Since its inception, Bethlehem Special Olympics has joined with the Bethlehem community to
fulfill its mission of providing year round sports training and athletic competition programs for
all children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The program currently offers 17 sports
programs that serve over 150 athletes, ages 8 to 80! Our program strongly encourages families
to become active in their athlete's programs. Athletes participate in training programs that
may qualify them to compete at Sectional, States, Nationals, and International Special Olympic
games.
Volunteers staff all sports training programs. Head coaches are trained to work with adults and
children that have intellectual disabilities and are certified in their sport by Special Olympics
Pennsylvania. There is never a charge to the athletes to participate in the program. Funding
is supplied by local fund-raising activities and donations from the community. Donations
received are applied to uniforms, training facilities, equipment, transportation, and a one-week
summer sports camp, with only a minimal amount being applied to administrative
requirements.