For the first time, the New York Special Olympics Snowshoe Competition came to the Long Island region
The Special Olympics of New York brought the snowshoe competition to Long Island this month. Dozens of Special Olympics Athletes gathered at North Hempstead Beach Park for the snowshoe event and raced on the sand.
The Special Olympics has provided year-round sports training and athletic competition since 1968. A variety of Olympic-style sports is available through this program for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. According to the Special Olympics New York website, the Special Olympics gives their athletes “continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendships with their families.”
Snowshoeing is one of the 22 winter sports that the Special Olympics offer, and around 530 athletes participate in this event in New York alone. This was the first time the snowshoe event was held on Long Island, as usually, the snowshoe event takes place upstate where snow is more available.
David Durandisse is the Special Olympics of New York Director of Programs, focusing on competitions. Durandisse oversees the competitions in both the Long Island and New York City regions. With ideas from co-workers and other Special Olympics coaches and athletes, Durandisse got the idea to host this year’s snowshoe competition on the beach.
“In every given year [the competition] takes place upstate on actual snow,” said Durandisse. “Due to the lack of snow in multiple areas, not only New York but other areas like Florida athletes practice on the beach. Talking with athletes from Florida got the wheels spinning and we thought to mirror everything that’s done on snow on the sand.”
“Sand has the closest consistency and level of difficulty compared to snow. Additionally, our athletes in the Long Island and New York City region already practice on the sand for the most part,” said Durandisse. “So we reached out to North Hempstead Beach Park, and everything was a go.”
The athletes have been training for months at this point without participating in a competition. Durandisse and the other New York Special Olympics members felt it was unfair that the athletes have been training for so long without competition because “it doesn’t fall in line with what we want to do and what we are capable of doing,” said Durandisse. So when the opportunity came about to host the event at Beach Park, they jumped on it.
Over 30 athletes from four different training camps competed in multiple distance races from the Long Island and New York City regions throughout the day. For this particular event, the athletes’ ages ranged from 18 years old to 50 years old. Durandisse said they even had some 60-year-olds participating this year.
“I had the luxury of being under the tent and listening to our athletes having discussions,” Durandisse said. “They were joking around, but they said that they loved to have the snowshoe competition on the sand because of the weather. In the winter games, everyone is bundled because of the cold upstate. But they appreciated being able to compete in t-shirts and hoodies this year, as opposed to snow clothes and boots,”
At this event, the New York Special Olympics could update the athlete’s times to their best and fastest times for the upcoming state games. “The athletes compete locally, then qualify for state games,” Durandisse said. “Then you hope that one day you could compete at the U.S.A. games or International games.”
“In the upcoming years, we are going to try and grow this event and invite other regions so that we can expand the pool of athletes we are serving,” said Durandisse.
The competition at Beach Park turned out to be a great event. “Everyone was excited. The athletes were very excited to cheer each other on,” said Durandisse. “There were a lot of spectators for a small event.”
Among the spectators, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena attended the Snowshoeing event to cheer on the athletes.
(Contributed photo from the Town of North Hempstead)
According to a press release from the Town of North Hempstead, “Supervisor DeSena commended all the athletes assembled for their efforts that day and applauded the organizers from Special Olympics New York. The town is very proud to partner with Special Olympics New York, and Supervisor DeSena thanked them for all the amazing work they do year-round to support these athletes so they can continue to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, make friends, and experience the joy of competition.”
While snowshoeing might just seem like difficult walking to some people, the sport provides significant health benefits and skills. Snowshoeing is a great cardiovascular workout that builds endurance and is a low-impact muscle-building exercise. The winter sport also improves balance and agility.
It is often hard to get outside and enjoy nature during the winter because of the cold temperatures and icy conditions. But with snowshoeing, it is easy to connect with nature, get some fresh air and enjoy an outdoor workout. Snowshoeing has been a staple in the Special Olympics winter games, and the athletes continue to enjoy the sport each season.
Visit specialolympics-ny.org and like their Facebook page.
