Cheer on athletes at Southeast Regional Power Lifting

Special Olympics Georgia holds its annual Southeast Regional Power Lifting competition at Velocity Sports in Roswell, Oct. 20-21. Georgia athletes will compete along with athletes from North and South Carolina and Florida. The Opening Ceremony will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 21. Awards will be given out throughout competition. The opening ceremony will be held Friday night and competition starts Saturday morning.

Click here for more information about Southeast Power Lifting

Athletes compete at State Horse Show

Athletes and their favorite horses will compete in the State Horse Show at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agri Center in Perry, Nov. 10-12. Opening ceremony will be Friday, Nov. 10 at the fairgrounds. Athletes will be judged on riding styles. Awards will be given out at 12 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11. Click here find out how to be a fan in the stands or for more information about the Show.

Laugh and support Special Olympics at the same time!

Visit the Comedy Lounge, Thursday, Nov. 16 inside the Landmark Diner in Buckhead, located at 3652 Roswell Road. Inside the Vegas-style nightclub, laugh at the comedians starting at 8 p.m. and after the show you can try out your own funny bone at Comedy Karoke. For more information, e-mail Allison Hicks, senior special events manager at Allison.Hicks@SpecialOlympicsGA.org.

Check out Special Olympics survey

Special Olympics Incorporated is conducting an online marketing survey on the perception and involvement of people involved in Special Olympics. Please click here to fill out the survey. The survey takes about 5 minutes. Your responses will remain anonymous and will help shape the future of Special Olympics.

Coaches Corner

Stay focused on your goals; it's possible!

By South Georgia Wildcats Head Coach Derek Stingley

I would like to share with you a life lesson that I learned from my participation in athletics.

Growing up, I played almost every sport, excelling in baseball and football. I played both sports in high school; four years of baseball and, believe it or not, only one year of football. I had a chance to go pro in baseball after high school, but instead chose to go to college at Purdue University. While at Purdue I played collegiate baseball, and after three years I was drafted by the MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies. But throughout all of this, I always thought of playing football.

Football was always on my mind, maybe because it’s in my blood. Both my grandfather and father played professional football. I had always wanted to be like my father, but somehow I was playing baseball instead.

One day I had a conversation with my father that changed my life forever. He told me that whatever I spend the most time thinking about is what I should do in life. At the time, all I could think about was playing football, even though I was pursuing a career in baseball. He told me that if I went to bed thinking about football and woke up thinking about football, then that was truly what I needed to do in life.

Since then, I’ve played eight years of professional arena football, with time in-between with the NFL’s New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars. I have been a successful head football coach for the past two years. All of this without ever playing college football.

So if there is one thing that you are always thinking about, focus all of your energy on it. If you put your mind and your heart into it, it is possible.

Good luck in the State Fall Games in Albany!

(Note to the reader: The Coaches Corner is a new part of the SOGA Connection, where professional coaches from pro-sports, college and high schools offer sports tips to encouragement, or about something that has inspired him or her on the field. If you're interested in writing a column, please write or call Wendy Bigham at Wendy.Bigham@SpecialOlympicsGA.org or (770) 414-9390 ext. 117. )