Return to Activities 2021 (and Pizza/Ice Cream Social)

Hello Everyone,It’s been a while… here’s hoping you are all healthy and keeping busy.

We will be returning to activity next week – and will be hosting a Pizza/Ice Cream Social NEXT Friday July 9 starting at 6:00pm

Riverside Firehouse
151 Coppermine Road
Oxford, CT 06478

*** You must already be registered with Oxford Special Olympics in order to join us at this event. *** (Forms are available on our website OxfordSO.org and Special Olympics CT website soct.org )

We do need you to RSVP so we know how much to order – and we also need you to fill out an online survey.

If you do not fill out the survey then please do not RSVP to the social, as we need to know some pertinent information that is included in the survey.

AGAIN, you MUST fill out the online survey before you RSVP to the social.
OSO Return To Activity 2021 Survey https://bit.ly/OSO2021ReturnSurvey

Everyone Attending (Including Athletes, Family members, staff, Volunteers) any and all activities must fill out a Covid-19 Waiver and Release form for Special Olympics CT – here is the link: http://oxfordso.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/COVID-19-Waiver-fillable.pdf

This waiver form is MANDATORY and will be filed with Special Olympics CT – if you do not fill it out, you are not eligible to attend any events.


Please fill it out and bring it with you to the social (we will have copies for anyone who FORGETS to fill it out.
Going forward, we will be following Special Olympics CT and CDC guidelines for all events

OSO Current Plan- Oxford Special Olympics will be doing TRAINING ONLY for the next few months – we will revisit this in September to see how our program will proceed after that.We will not be following the traditional schedule for organized sports (that means No Golf and No Croquet)

We would like to add some extra activities like walking/hiking which can be done on weekends, but No schedule has been set yet!

Giving Thanks and Reflecting on what we are most thankful for…

November 2020

To all our OSO family and friends,

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, we are writing to let you know that even though this year has been “different”, we still have reasons to be thankful and grateful! We are thankful for our family and friends, and for each of you, and we all have many “little reasons” to be grateful each and every day.  

As many of you know, I am an ER nurse and have seen what this virus can do first hand, and it’s not even close to being over yet! I was diagnosed with Covid back in March, as was my brother Larry, my mother and several other family members. We have recovered from being sick, but there are so many aspects of this virus that we are all dealing with, whether or not you have gotten sick. Some have lost their jobs, some have been unable to see family and friends, some have been isolated by having to stay “remote”,  but through it all, we have stayed resilient and have found other ways to connect.  Just ask Coach Sean!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Coach Sean Morley and Mary Beth Morley and their son, David (even their dog, Cleo) for keeping all the exercise zoom classes going each week during these crazy times. I’m sure everyone has been enjoying seeing and chatting with each other virtually. 

I know it has been too long since we have seen each other face to face, and many of us have been affected by the virus in a lot of different ways, but unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic we will NOT be meeting in person for quite some time. This was a very hard decision to make, because we know how much everyone misses being together, not only enjoying all the sports activities, but especially seeing all their friends and enjoying everyone’s company. But, we have decided to play it safe, and not take any chances with the spread of this virus. Therefore we will NOT be training in any winter sports (downhill skiing, cross country skiing, or snowshoeing) this year and not competing in winter sports.

If anyone is interested in snowshoeing in your own backyard, we do have some snowshoes available for use. Just contact us and we can make arrangements for pick up.

We miss seeing everyone, but until we can assure everyone’s safety, and keep everyone healthy….. we will NOT be holding any in person Oxford Special Olympics events at this time.

So, until we meet again……. stay safe, wear your masks, wash your hands, and have a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a happy and HEALTHY New Year!

Love, MO

Mo (203) 305-3652 / Linda (203) 305-0796 / Sean (203) 314-9671 / Larry (203) 278-4632

Contact Information

Oxford Special Olympics

www.OxfordSO.org

2020 Spring Training/Summer Games Signup

If you plan on participating in spring/training for the 2020 Summer Games competition, you will need to fill out the online signup sheet below.

Summer Games / Spring Training 2020

It is EXTREMELY important that you sign up if you plan on competing, since our registration is due on April 17 and that only gives us 2 weeks of practice before it is due.

http://bit.ly/2020OSOSummerSports

The last day to register for competition will be Sunday April 5, 2020, so please fill this form out as soon as you get it. You should receive an email confirmation after you submit the form.

Only those that sign up for COMPETITION will be registered for the summer games.

It costs Oxford Special Olympics money for every athlete and partner that is registered for competition, so if you register for COMPETITION and don’t show, or change your mind, then we will be out that money, which isn’t fair to anyone. you are welcome to sign up for training only, just select your sport but don’t select “COMPETING” at the end.

Sports:

Cycling / Swimming / Track & Field

Oxford Special Olympics will be training in three sports this Spring – Cycling, Track and Field, and Swimming – both Developmental and Advanced. Competition will be at the Special Olympics Connecticut Summer Games on June 12-14, 2020.

You may train in ALL of the sports (so long as they aren’t happening at the same time), but must select only 1 for competition, since the competition will be held simultaneously on the same weekend. If you sign up for competition, then you are expected to attend all of the practices for that sport. If you have too many unexcused absences, then you will be scratched from competition.

All of the pertinent information is included on the form, so please READ IT CAREFULLY.

If you have any questions about signing up, please feel free to contact Larry.

#TeamOSOct #OxfordSpecialOlympics #PlayUnified #35YearsOfFamily

2019 OSO Bowling Signup

Bowling Season is starting September 24, 2019 and we have electronic signup forms (see link below). We REALLY need to know how many we will be having, so Partners and Volunteers please sign up also. (Unified Partners must have UNIFIED FORMS on file and if you plan on competing, please select COMPETITION)

We have to know how many lanes we will need, so if you don’t sign up using this form, YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO BOWL. It’s VERY important that we know how many bowlers and partners we will have.

We will bowl for 9 weeks every Tuesday starting September 24, 2019 at 6:15 pm and go until November 19, 2019 – if you can’t make a practice, please LET US KNOW so we can take you off the roster for that week (it REALLY HELPS).

******** LAKEWOOD LANES 694 Lakewood Road, Waterbury, CT 06704 ********

If you are already a part of Oxford Special Olympics then Please click the following link to signup for bowling: (If you haven’t trained with Oxford Special Olympics, then please send an email to LarryD@OxfordSO.org before signing up)

http://bit.ly/2019OSOBowling (THE LAST DAY TO SIGNUP IS WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 18)

In lieu of a weekly fee, we ask each bowler to bring something for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank ( http://stvincentdepaulvalley.homestead.com/FoodBank.html )to EVERY practice.

American Lecithin Company (http://www.AmericanLecithin.us), our incredibly generous sponsor, has agreed to cover all costs. OSO is one of the few programs in the state that is not charging participants to bowl.

Some suggestions:

  • Canned potatoes, canned vegetables (any kind), canned fruit (avoid glass!)
  • Tuna fish, baked beans, peanut butter
  • Progresso or Chunky canned soup, canned stew or chili
  • Cereal, instant oatmeal, boxed potatoes
  • Healthy snacks (granola bars, nuts, dried fruit)
  • Pasta, pasta sauce, mac ‘n cheese
  • Ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo
  • Cake mix, frosting
  • Paper towels, toilet paper
  • Soap, shampoo, conditioner
  • Toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors, shaving cream
  • Local supermarket gift cards!

Together we can make a difference in the lives of local families.

Check out our Calendar of Events for more info…

#35YearsOfFamily #TeamOSOct #OxfordSpecialOlympics #PlayUnified #OSOBowling

2019 Golf & Croquet online signups

The start date for Golf and Croquet is set for Tuesday July 16, 2019 at 6:00 pm. We will be practicing at Oxford Greens Golf Course, 99 Country Club Dr, Oxford, CT

You MUST be preregistered using our online forms – that includes Unified Partners and Coaches/Volunteers. Even if you are only coming for “Training Only”, please use the online signup form, so that we will know how many participants we will have and can try to have enough volunteers.
 
Our Croquet pre-registration is due July 19 – WHICH IS THE SAME WEEK OF OUR FIRST NIGHT OF PRACTICE.
So if you don’t sign up using this form then I will not know whether to include you in the Croquet registration forms and you will not be eligible for COMPETITION.
 
Here is the link to register (if you have already registered, please DO NOT register again, as it just duplicates the data)
Please Click on this Link and fill out the form to sign up for Golf or Croquet: http://bit.ly/2019OSOGolfCroquet 
 
You should receive a confirmation email with your responses to the form.
 
Please take the time to register online. Please select “TRAINING ONLY” if you do not plan to go to competition. 
 
PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE SIGNUP FORM BEFORE CLICKING SUBMIT!
 
There is a DRESS CODE:
WHAT TO WEAR: A collared shirt, dress shorts and sneakers or golf shoes with no metal spikes. NO TEE SHIRTS NO JEANS ALLOWED ON GOLF COURSE!!
 
FYI: Croquet is a UNIFIED EVENT, which means athletes will be paired with a Unified Partner of equal ability and age.
If we do not have partners of similar age and ability, then athletes will be able to train, but not go to competition.Special Olympics CT gives each local program an “allotment” of how many teams we are allowed to bring to competition, last year we only had 8 teams, which means only 8 athletes were allowed to participate in competition along with 8 partners. We can bring more teams to the Croquet Qualifier, but not to competition.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Larry Doherty

Volunteer Sports Coordinator – Oxford Special Olympics

Cycling Qualifier CANCELLED

FROM SOCT: CYCLING QUALIFIER IS CANCELLED.

Due to the impending forecast for this Sunday, May 5th the decision has been made to cancel the Cycling Time Trials at Yale West Campus.