Team Communication #2
December 19, 2022
Hello Torch Runners,
I hope this message finds all of you healthy and happy.
NEW TEAM MEMBERS
We have some new additions to our happy Final Leg family:
Donatella Fantini - Italy
Jayson Bouwkamp - Ontario, Canada
Sean Wheeler - Michigan, USA
I am really excited to introduce you to our first five Torch Runners selected from the Berlin Police Department. A hearty LETR welcome to the following host country runners:
Maja Seidel
Victoria-Marie Gordon
Alina Niemeyer
Matthias Nowak
Daniel Ghavami
Germany does not have an established LETR program, so for our German Torch Runners, this is a healthy introduction to who we are and what we do. I hope that the week we spend with our German colleagues will encourage them to lift up a program in their country, much like we have seen in Austria after our Final Leg visit there in 2017.
We anticipate having our other five runners from Brandenburg, Germany sometime in January.
MANAGEMENT & LOGISTICS TEAMS
I would like to introduce you to all the folks responsible for taking care of you while we’re in Germany:
Team Leaders:
Ivan Shields – Northern Ireland
Michael Tolson – Australia
Ian Parkinson – Southern California
Robin McNeil – Nova Scotia
Ben Sanchez – New Mexico
Diane Vanderkooy – Illinois
Gwen Johns – Oregon
Pete Sawyer - Delaware
Logistics
Management Team
Mark McCorkle, Team Captain – Idaho/Southern California
Greg Dawson, Route Leader – Arkansas
Scott Whyte, Logistics Manager – Australia
Advance Teams
Kami Delameter – SOI
Lisa Carlone – Connecticut
Bill Proll – Southern California
Jason Schubert – New Jersey
Gerri McCorkle – Idaho/Southern California
Danny Hall – Delaware
Torch Operators
Joe Carlone – Connecticut
John Clifton – Georgia
Documentation Team
Harry Drucker – Southern California
Shawn Byrne – Oklahoma
David Smith – Northern Ireland
FUTURE COMMUNICATIONS
We will be transitioning our mode of communication in the near future. We will migrate from an email-based system to a blog, where you can access information at any time. All previous communications will be archived, and we believe it will make the sharing of information not only easier, but more interactive since you will be able to leave comments and/or ask questions. We’ll provide further information prior to us hitting the “GO” button on the blog.
The dates I provided in the last communication are still holding firm, however, we are not yet ready to approve the scheduling of airline flights. You will have plenty of notice when we’re ready to move forward.
PHYSICAL FITNESS
We can’t emphasize enough the importance of being in good running shape for the Final Leg – it is a run. While we don’t necessarily run at a blistering pace, we want you to enjoy every moment of the experience. If you’re sucking wind, you’re not having fun. Additionally, a number of our runs will be through parks, so vehicle support (also known as the “Sag Wagon”) may not be what it is on public roads. We also have precedence in previous Final Legs for having to “pick up the pace” in order to maintain our schedule. Bottom line, you have time to prepare yourselves, so please make sure you’re physically ready to go when we land in Berlin.
Lastly, we hope to finalize our fundraising event by the next communication. If we are successful in locking-in our preferred event, I promise you it will be very unique, and an excellent vehicle to promote to all your friends, family, and Special Olympics constituents.
Our next communication will be the second week of the new year. In that message we will announce the teams and hopefully our fundraising event.
I hope all of you have a very joyous Holiday Season, and as always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
