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Athlete Nicole DuBiago and partner Jay Lurie from Darien Lions team
Athlete Margetta Perry and partner Hayward Gatch from Team SHYC Piolt's Point
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Special Olympians Test Themselves In Waters Off Stonington Yacht Club
By Claire Bessette
Stonington - Margaretta Perry's mother was unfazed when her 8-year-old daughter protested and yelled "It's scary!" as the Special Olympics sailing race was about to begin. Margaretta of Waterford was the youngest participant in the Connecticut Special Olympics Regatta at the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club Saturday. She and sailing partner Hayward Gatch, 15, a member of the Westerly High School sailing team, have been practicing every Tuesday all summer. But when it came time for the race to start, Margaretta balked.
Tammy Perry picked up the girl, carried her down the dock and placed her into the boat with Hayward already at the rudder. Within minutes, Margaretta had grabbed the jib line and was pulling to try to get the sail to tack in the early afternoon still air. Tammy waved a couple of times from the dock and turned to walk away.
"She's fine once she's out there," Tammy Perry said, as she went to find her older daughter, Michelle Perry, 16, a "unified partner" sailor, the one with sailing experience, on another boat.
"Oh no," Tammy Perry said laughing. "The two are never on the same boat. It's better that way."
Special Olympics pairs one Special Olympics athlete with one unified partner. The small sailboats carry two-member crews and larger boats have four, two Special Olympians and two unified partners.
About 75 athletes and partners - ranging in age from 8 into their 60s - paraded through Stonington Borough Saturday morning, accompanied by firetrucks, bagpipers, more than 100 volunteers and supporters to launch the 2008 regatta, the second to be held at the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club - praised as an ideal site for the races by Special Olympics officials Saturday.
"We wanted to surround ourselves with people who know the sport," said Beau Doherty of Chester, president of Connecticut Special Olympics. "The support we get here is phenomenal."
The Stonington Harbor Yacht Club Sailing Foundation, a separate, nonprofit entity from the club, oversees the sailing programs. The foundation also hosts a community youth sailing program during the summer. Spike Lobdell, who was yacht club commodore, akin to president, when the idea of hosting Special Olympics was raised three years ago, said it fit in perfectly with the goals of the community sailing program started in 2002.
"Our goal is to get as many people out on the water as possible," Lobdell said.
The foundation held fundraisers and opened its facilities for the two-day event. Most of the sailboats involved in the competition are owned by the foundation, said Mike Leahy, a member who handles public relations. The foundation held a large reception that raised $10,000 for Special Olympics, some of it to help fund this weekend's event. The group sought other donations and grants from various foundations, including the National Recreation Foundation, which helped pay for some of the boats.
Athletes and their families and supporters were treated to a buffet lunch and dinner catered by Mystic Market, live music, a dinner dance and Olympic Town, which featured a touch tank brought in by the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration.
Foundation President Bob Fountain said members may have been a bit nervous at first, not having any experience with Special Olympics, but soon everyone involved "totally embraced" the event, and they expect to be the host for the foreseeable future.
Athletes milled about the festival tent Saturday morning preparing themselves for the afternoon competition.
Danielle Ciccotti, 14, of Preston, a freshman at Norwich Free Academy, sat quietly on a sidewalk curb thinking about her upcoming race, her life jacket sprawled out. Her cheering squad featured her parents, Dan and Sephani Ciccotti, sister Angella, 17, and her boyfriend, Ryan Kasembeg.
Danielle has been sailing for two years. Like many other Special Olympics sailing athletes, Danielle was introduced to the sport by her bicycling coach. Both sports help teach balance, Stephani Ciccotti explained.
"She was very scared to start," her mother said. "When she first got off the boat, she said 'Well, I can walk better.'"
Stephani Ciccotti said sailing gives Danielle another bonus, a source of pride and self-esteem. A teacher told her she is the only freshman in her class to have sailing experience, and Danielle has been asked to speak to talk about the sport to other classes.
By Tim Cook
Special Olympian torch bearers Jeremiah Clayton, left, and Kathleen Ledwidge lead the parade of athletes on Main Street in Stonington Borough.
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The lovely community of Stonington will once again play host to the annual Connecticut Special Olympics sailing regatta this weekend, featuring 76 athletes and partners who will participate in 20 races over the two day event period.
More than 100 volunteers, Special Olympics staff members, parents and coaches will help run the event, which features races on both days in StoningtonHarbor with one course adjacent to Skipper's Dock and the other just inside the harbor's outer breakwater.
Boat classes will include Club 420's, J-24's, Highlanders and JY-15's. Each boat will be sailed by a Special Olympics unified crew (an intellectually disabled athlete and a non-disabled partner). There will be three teams on the water - Darien, Pilot's Point and Stonington.
 The Stonington Harbour Yacht Club Sailing Foundation is hosting this year's event with Special Olympics Connecticut and through donations from yacht club members, grants from the National Recreation Foundation and support from local residents and businesses..
In addition to racing, other activities will include opening and closing ceremonies, awards ceremony, a parade of athletes and a gala dinner and victory celebration at the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club.
Here's a line-up of the two-day's activities:
Saturday, September 13, 2008
8:30am Athlete and Volunteer Reg.
9:30am Parade begins at SHYC Lot
10:30am Opening Ceremonies
11:30am Lunch
12:30pm Skippers meeting
12:45pm Racing begins
1:00pm Olympic Town
3:30pm Racing Ends, Athletes depart for hotel
4:00pm Breakdown Boats
6:00pm Dinner @ Yacht Club
7:30pm Dancing
9:30pm Depart
Sunday, September 14, 2008
9:00am Competitors Arrive
9:30am-11:30am Racing
10:00am Olympic Town
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Award Ceremony
1:30pm Breakdown Boats
2:00pm Everyone Departs
The Parade of Athletes will begin at Stonington Commons going north on Main Street, west on High St and south on Water Street and back to the Commons. Included in the parade will be the United States Coast Guard Academy Color Guard as well as the police and fire departments, the Knights of Columbus and
Stonington Ambulance.
Olympic Town on the Commons Green will feature a touch tank from the Mystic Aquarium, the Stonington Garden Club with hands-on projects, a knot tying class and local artists interpreting the event. Music for the gala dinner dance Saturday night will be donated to the event by 28 Strings from the CalvaryChurch in Stonington.
As you can seen the event has something for everyone in what is, believe me, a fabulous venue of a town well worth visiting, plus you will be supporting the efforts of some special people who have worked very hard to participate in this regatta event. As always, let me know, if you attend, how the event was and share photos if you take any, with iTowns (and with me). Enjoy!
 I learned of the regatta from Mike Leahy, a resident of the area who had graciously invited me to visit Stonington Borough back in the spring and is now the
volunteer media relations person for the regatta event this weekend.
Since June, the Special Olympics athletes and their partners have been participating in weekly training sessions provided by the Stonington Harbour Yacht Club, so they should be ready and very pumped up to get out onto the water and compete! Bill Furgueson, head of club's sailing school, spearheaded the summer-long training program and will be running things on the water for the regatta.
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