Jay Flythe          and         Kevin Enright

SOGA took Abu Dhabi for 2019 World Games (from SOGA Support From Around The World (constantcontact.com))

On March 6 th , Special Olympics Georgia athletes set off to Abu Dhabi to compete in the 2019 World Games! SOGA was represented by two Unified Table Tennis Teams: Garrett Ardizone & Wayne Hancock from Forsyth County, and Jay Flythe & Kevin Enright from Augusta Stars. Karen Cimo joined them as their head coach, along with Todd Youngblood, Mark Keesee, Lynnette Swanson, Jim Hamm, and Karen Carter attending as coaches in various sports. Special Olympics USA had over 300 delegates attend World Games. Opening Ceremonies kicked off on March 14 th , followed by Jay and Garrett competing in Singles and Doubles Table Tennis. Jay received 5 th place, and Garrett a Bronze for Singles. Together in Doubles, they achieved 4 th place. The Unified teams did well, as Jay and Kevin received 5 th place and Garrett and Wayne received 4 th place.

They had amazing experiences while in Abu Dhabi, a trip they will never forget! Wayne Hancock, Unified Partner, said “We had a visit to a school during the “Host Town” that was awesome. The school is called GEMS Metropole School. It is a K thru 12 school in which 50% of the student population impacted with intellectual challenges. What they call “determined”. It was awesome!! Words could not convey the experience I (we) had there. They had an elementary age group that sang us the National Anthem. This was one of the best memories I have ever had in my life. It was an honor to be part of USA delegation team and proud to be an American.”

Congratulations on all of your accomplishments!