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Program Director: Ron Miller
email: rmiller@muscatiney.org
Ron graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelors Degree in Therapeutic Recreation. Upon graduation he worked for 10 years for the State of Illinois as an Activity Therapist in a state operated facility for people with mental & physical disabilities. During this time he coached several different sports within the Illinois Special Olympic program. He eventually became the facilities Head Coach for Aquatics, Basketball, Softball and Track & Field. When he returned to Muscatine he continued working in the Social Service field and remained active in the Special Olympics by bringing some of his experience to improve and expand the Muscatine program. Since his involvement here in Muscatine he has increased the number of sports to include Winter Games (Nordic & Alpine Skiing); Soccer; golf; & Powerlifting. He also has had an increase in the number of participants from 40 athletes in 1987 to 121 present athletes. In 1991 he was Special Olympics Iowa Coach of the year. He has coached at three different World Games in 1991in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1995 in New Haven,Connecticut & in1999 in Raleigh, North Carolina. He will be the Head Track & Field Coach for Iowa at the National Games held in Ames,Iowa in 2006. He presently serves on the Iowa Coaches Training Committee and the Iowa Coaches Advisory Committee.
Advisory Board:
The Special Olympics Advisory Board meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:15 p.m. The meetings are held in the Conference Room at the Y. It is open to the public should anyone be interested in attending. It recommended that you call first as sometimes the meetings are canceled due to various reasons. The present board members are:
Lyle Alberding
Dave Bender
Luanna Gredell
Mark Hidlebaugh
Pam Jackman
Traci McCleary
Molly McGuire
Bill Ryan
Muscatine County Special Olympics offers opportunities in the following sports:Alpine Skiing, Aquatics, Basketball, Bocce, Bowling, Cheerleading, Cross-Country Skiing, Equestrian,Golf, Power-lifting, Soccer, Softball, Track & Field
This summer we will be offering softball. The practices will be held at Kent Stein Park Softball Diamond #16 on Wednesday evenings from 6:00—8:00 p.m. The first practice and sign-up will be May 30. We try to schedule games and scrimmages during this time period. We will be hosting the State Softball Skills Tournament on Saturday, August 4. There are many teams throughout the state that participate in this annual event. The regular State Softball Tournament will be held in Ames, Iowa on Saturday, August 11. To qualify to compete at this level, the team must place 1st in their division at the district competition which has yet to be set up. Future dates of competition and practices for the other sports will be noted in the fall program. For more information on the Special Olympics Program or to assist as a volunteer, contact Ron Miller at 263-9996.
KANDO SUMMER CAMP
We will once again be providing a five week summer camp program for children with mental disabilities ages 3—12 years old. This camp will be using the Muscatine Community Y as its base, but will be going into the community for many exciting experiences! The cost to participate will be $60.00 per child. The program is limited to 20 children. Transportation will be provided within the city of Muscatine. For more information, contact Ron Miller at the Muscatine Community Y at 263-9996 or email rmiller@muscatiney.org
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