of three Vermonters to represent the United States Special Olympics Team in
Soule, South Korea at the 2013 World Special Olympics. Leah is one
of only 157 athletes in the country to be a member of TEAM USA; she will
compete in three alpine skiing events, slalom, giant slalom and super giant
slalom from January 29th through February 5th. There will be over 3,400
Special Olympians from countries around the world participating at these games.
The world games are being held at the Alpensia Mountain Resort in
PyeongChang, South Korea.
The World Games are flagship events for the Special Olympics Movement. They
take place every two years and alternate between Summer and Winter Games. The
Games can be the world's largest sporting event of the year. Thousands of
athletes, coaches, volunteers and supporters attend to see and cheer the skills
and accomplishments of people with intellectual disabilities.
Leah has received an outpouring of community support and has raised over $8,000
for the Vermont Special Olympics; her goal is to raise $10,000. The
Alpine Shop in South Burlington is a huge sponsor for Leah and owner Andy
Kingston said "As a family owned Vermont business for nearly 50 years, the
Alpine Shop has always believed in supporting the local community as much as
possible. The Special Olympics Vermont is one of the organizations that
is near and dear to our hearts. We are so proud to have found a way,
with the sponsorship help of Volkl, Marker, Head, POC and Scott, to equip Leah
with world class alpine race gear and apparel. She is already a champion
to us and regardless of the outcome of her races; she will be a great
ambassador for Vermont and the U.S. on the world stage in the Republic of
Korea!"
Leah graduated from Riverview School in 2011. Currently she is a student
at the University of Vermont in the Think College Program and works part time
as a chef assistant at Pillsbury Manor. Leah's parents are Jay Fayette
and Susan Boardman Fayette of South Burlington and Owen Boardman of Underhill,
Vermont.
If you are interested in donating please visit www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/leahboardman/sovt2013southkorea
David Hill '02 & Grow '04
David competed in Power Lifting in the 2010 USA Special Olympics National Games in Lincoln Nebraska in July. He was on Team Delaware and brought home a gold medal for his squat of 430 lbs; silver for bench of 315 lbs, silver for dead lift of 507 lbs, and silver for the second highest combination score of 95 lifters. His combined score was 1251. David is doing so well in Special Olympics, Community Connectors, a social group, and his job. He now has a girlfriend as a result of participating in Community Connectors. His National Games story is on the University of Nebraska webpage and it will be in a local paper. When David approached the weights for his heaviest deadlift of 507, they announced that David graduated from Riverview School in MA. The Mass. Team was in the audience cheered loudly.
