Mission Accomplished!

It's difficult to believe it's over. After two years of planning, a lot of blood, sweat and tears, our mission to safely deliver the Flame of Hope to the World Games Opening Ceremonies was successfully completed.

What an extraordinary experience for all of us. Viewed through 108 different lenses, I think we can all confidently state that this was a fun-filled and life-changing week.

When you gather 108 people together, the majority of which with Type "A" personalities, you never know what mix of people you will get. I can say with 100% confidence, this was by far the most tight-knit group of Final Leggers I have ever been associated with. You bonded quickly and every single person seemed to have the positive attitude necessary to make this a successful event.

If there were complaints, they were very minor in nature and few, if any, ever made it to our ears. 

Each of you now shares a bond that very few Torch Runners ever get to have. The brotherhood and sisterhood of being a Final Leg Alumnus, is an incredibly small group, of which you are all now members. 

I am hoping as many of you as possible can attend the International Conference in Chicago this coming October. A portion of one of the general sessions has been carved out for us, and we will take the stage to share our video and our experiences with everyone in attendance, with the hopes of shining an even brighter light on what is arguably the pinnacle of our movement.

Until then, take what you experienced back to your programs. Share with your colleagues the impact you had on the citizens and athletes of Germany. Tell them about the thousands of people that lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the Flame of Hope and what it represents. 

If you have not done so, please take the survey Scott posted earlier. Be critical. Tell us what you think we can do better, and what you thought was a success. This truly helps us shape the experience for those who will follow in your very large footsteps.

Thank you again for everything you have done to make this such a memorable Final Leg. I am proud to say that we now share an unbreakable connection for the rest of our lives. Be safe, and see you in Chicago!

 

FINAL LEG SURVEY

It is really important to us that we get your views and feedback on how the Final Leg went.  

To that end, we have created a Final Leg Survey Form.

Please take the time to fill out the survey, providing us with your honest assessment of what went well and what was not quite so good.

CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY

Thanks

Scott

Purchasing a Torch

DO YOU WANT TO PURCHASE A TORCH

Whilst the window for the Fundraising has not yet closed, and many of you will be entitled to a Final Leg Torch, Miners Lamp or both as part of the Incentive Program, there may be some of you who wish to purchase a Final Leg Torch.

It may be the case that your Program wants to purchase a Torch.  In that case, please pass on these details to your program.

The Torches are priced at USD$600 each plus shipping costs.

We have created an order form to establish the level of interest.  Billing will be done separately once the torches have been ordered.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER A TORCH

Thanks

Scott

 

 

TEAM RECOGNITION PLAQUES

The eleven boxes of Team Recognition Plaques made their way through Customs in Berlin and were released to us on Monday - just one day too late for us to be able to get them to you. 

The plaques will be returned to the US and arrangements made to ship them out to all of you.

As we see it, there are a number of shipping options available:

• If you are intending to attend the LETR International Conference in Chicago this October AND you are patient enough to wait till then, we will ship your plaque to Chicago and present it there.
• If you are not able to attend the Conference, but have someone from your LETR Program who is attending (and is prepared to take possession of your plaque) we can present it to them there.
• If you are not attending the Conference and would prefer to have the plaque shipped directly to you, we can do that.

Please be aware that by the time the plaques make their way back to Oklahoma City and clear Customs again, it may well be August before they can be shipped.

We have created a form to collect your responses and address details if relevant.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE FORM

Thanks

Scott

Event Wrap Up Information

 

TIME TO WRAP UP THE EVENT

Many of you will read this post from the comfort of your home after a short or long flight.

The purpose of this post is not to summarise the activities undertaken during the past week or heap praise of all of you - I'll leave that to the Team Captain to look after.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for engaging so well during the week.  There have been friendships formed that will last a life-time.

Equally importantly, I will. be creating three quick forms that I need all of you to complete.  I anticipate that the forms will be published via this Blog over the next few days.

The first relates to the delivery to you of your Final Leg Team Recognition Plaque.  You'll be asked how you want it delivered.

The second relates to the purchase of Final Leg Torches.  You (or your program) can use this form to make an order for a Torch.

The third form is a Team Survey - giving you the chance to tell us about the good things and the bad - so that we can learn and improve.

That's it for now - please keep checking on the blog over the next week to get the links to the three forms.

Scott

Our Commitment

 

Our Commitment to the Athletes

Some may look at this photo and chuckle. In reality, it's a symbol of our commitment to the athletes, and how serious we take our role as Guardians of the Flame.

Some may think that the flame lighting in Athens is theatrical, or just for show, but it is not. The two lanterns pictured above were each lit from the flame crated in the parabolic bowl inside the Zappeion Hall.  Yesterday, these two lanterns made the trek from Athens to Berlin aboard an Aegean Airlines Airbus 321, carefully escorted by myself and Greg Dawson. The process for being allowed to bring a flame aboard an aircraft is quite lengthy, and not always easy.

Part of our commitment is ensuring these flames stay lit until our mission of safely transporting the Flame of Hope to the Opening Ceremonies is complete. Only then, can these lanterns be extinguished. Until that time, each lantern must be checked each few hours to ensure they are properly fueled. 

So, if you did not know previously, you can now share with anyone who may ask the level of commitment we have not only to our movement, but to our role as Guardians of the Flame.

Can't wait to see you all in just a few days!

Flame Lighting Ceremony

FLAME LIGHTING CEREMONY A SUCCESS

The Flame Lighting Ceremony for the 2023 Special Olympics World Games took place yesterday (Wednesday 7 June) at the Zappeoin Hall in Athens.

The ceremony was rich in tradition with the highlight (obviously) being the lighting of the Final Leg Torch.  The photo shown above gives a great overhead impression of the scale of the event.  

The photos above and below show the 'High Priestess' - Special Olympics athlete Iliana Symeonidi - lighting the cauldron from the Final Leg Torch.

Following the Lighting Ceremony, over 20 Final Leg team members, in company with Greek Police Officers and community members left the Zappeoin Hall and ran to the Greek School of Athens where yet another Welcome Ceremony was conducted.

A truly memorable day - and one made all the better by the presence of so many of our Final Leg team.

Click on the YouTube icon to view a 7 minute video showing the ceremony - please forgive the embedded watermark in the video but it was the best video available at the time.

At the time of writing this blog, Team Captain Mark McCorkle, along with Greg Dawson, Gerri McCorkle and our Greek Final Leg member, Nick Angelakis are at Athens Airport preparing to fly to Berlin (after one last ceremony of course)

See you all in Berlin

Scott

 

Focus on a Torch Runner

 Jeff Wilson - New York

In the first of what I hope to be a series of posts, I wanted to share two television news reports about one of the members of our Final Leg team.

Jeff Wilson comes from Buffalo in the northern part of New York State in the US.  His daughter Halley is a Special Olympics athlete.

Recently, WGRZ - a  local TV News channels ran stories about Jeff's selection for the Final Leg team.  I thought I'd share them with you here:

Click on the YouTube images below to view the news stories

Enjoy

Scott

Flame Lighting Ceremony update

UPDATE ON THE FLAME LIGHTING CEREMONY 

Greetings from Athens

Everything is set for the lighting of the Flame of Hope at Zappeoin Hall in Athens later today.

The setting is spectacular and with thanks to Special Olympics Hellas, the ceremony is going to be amazing.

We had just over twenty Final Leg team members and their partners arrive in Athens yesterday to witness the ceremony and take part in the Torch Run out of Zappeoin Hall.

We took the opportunity last night to get together over dinner at a fantastic Greek Restaurant in the city.  Members of the Berlin LOC team joined us as well.

The Flame Lighting will take place around noon today, followed by a Torch Run to the German School of Athens where the German Embassy is hosting a welcome reception for the Flame.

Tomorrow (Thursday), the Flame of Hope departs Athens and travels to Berlin, ready for the start of the Final Leg next week.

We'll provide an update later today with some photos and video of the ceremonies.

Flight Delay Reminder

 

REMINDER ABOUT FLIGHT DELAY NOTIFICATIONS

You will all be getting ready to start your journeys to Berlin for the commencement of the Final Leg.

Please remember to let us know if you experience any flight delays.  This will help us ensure that you are met at Berlin Airport when you (finally) come in.

Let us know by sending an email to:

flightdelay@letr-finalleg.org

A message from the Chief

As we close in on our arrival in Berlin and the commencement of the Final Leg, we were thrilled to receive a video message from Chief LaMunyon.

The Chief was not able to join us in Berlin, but took the time to record a message for the Final Leg team.

Click on the photo below to view the video

 

Fundraising Update

 

Dunn, Logistics Team in the Lead!

We have crested the 50% mark enroute to our goal of raising $200,000USD! Our fundraising platform will stay open into July so our goal is within reach!

Amber Dunn has opened up a nearly $3K lead over her closest competitor, BUT, I know for a fact there's still big money lurking out there. Amber clocks in at an impressive $9,137 as of this publication and Bill Proll is second at $6,275.

In the Teams race, the Logistics squad, made up of hobbled and banged up veterans, is in the lead with $18,895, but Team 7 is breathing down their neck at $18,437.

Still plenty of time to hop on board, and still lots of opportunity to fill your coffers. 

If you need the link to join, here it is: 

SpecialOlympics (givesmart.com)

 

UPDATES TO THE TEAM GUIDE

We released the Team Guide last week - hoping that it contained everything you needed to know for the Final Leg event.

Well - not quite everything!

We realised yesterday that we hadn't detailed what the team would be doing on June 13 or June 18.

June 13 has ben declared Inclusion Day and as such the Final Leg team are travelling out of Berlin to the town of Arendsee.  We'll be away for much of the day and return to our hotel in time for the Team Welcome Dinner.

On June 18 - the day following the Opening Ceremony - there is an opportunity for Final Leg team members to get out and see some sport.  The day is called 'Fans in the Stands' and it takes place in Messe which is a 30 minute train ride from our hotel.  We then end the day with the Team Recognition Dinner.

We've added a couple of pages to the Final Leg Route Summary which of course throws you out if you've already downloaded the outdated version - apologies for that.

There are a couple of ways that you can get access to this information.

1.  Go back and download the Team Guide again from either the Team Portal or by clicking on the image below:

2 .  Download the revised Route Summary document by clicking on the image below:

See you soon

What the Rest of the World Sees

 It's a Bloody, Beautiful Forecast, Chap

It was brought to my attention by a Torch Runner who will remain anonymous, but who may be from Iceland and is commonly referred to as "Mark's Torch wife," that not everyone on this team speaks fluent American. So, for the rest of the world, here is our projected forecast.

Enjoy your weekend!

Projected Weather

 

Projected Running Weather for Berlin

The forecast will certainly change before we arrive, but as of right now, the running weather in Berlin for the Final Leg looks pretty favorable. About a 20-25% chance of rain each day, except for Saturday, which is less.

Hey, a little rain will never stop this Team! Remember, bring an extra pair of shoes!!

Thin Blue Line

Blue Line Branding

I do my best to keep these posts as light and entertaining as possible, but I need to be very serious for a moment. This is not a pleasant post to have to make.

All of us are proud of our profession and many of us live in areas where law enforcement is still revered, celebrated and appreciated. One of our constant reminders of the sacrifices our brothers and sisters have made is identification with the Thin Blue Line. Many of us wear it proudly on shirts, or fly blue line flags at our homes. In fact, many Torch Run programs use the blue line imagery.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where that symbolism is not universally respected. When Greg Dawson and I were recently in Berlin, we became aware of the cultural divide this symbol can cause. It's even more dramatic than what some of you see in the United States or other locales. Bottom line, the thin blue line symbol is not respected in Germany in the same manner it may be in other parts of the world.

Now, none of us on the management side of this team will ever dictate what you can and cannot wear when you're "off duty," but we can provide you with what we know so you can make an informed decision.

During our recent trip, Greg and I did a little reconnaissance at local establishments in Berlin and our observations were that a tremendous number of young people flock to Berlin to enjoy the numerous watering holes and venues the city has to offer. Berlin also has a reputation for its young people being more than willing to voice their opinions in a variety of colorful and not always peaceful ways. 

All of this to say, if you have the opportunity to venture into the community and enjoy the many sites (not that we're going to have a lot of down time), it might be best to do so under the radar, so to speak. None of us want to see anyone become involved in a disagreement simply because of a symbol on their clothing.

Thank you for your understanding, and I'm always open to comments and questions.

 

 

Fundraising from Kazan

The message below was delivered to all LETR Liaisons earlier this morning. Because it impacts nearly 25% of our Berlin Team, I felt it appropriate to post here:

"A few Liaisons and Torch Runners have raised a topic related to Final Leg fundraising that I think is best addressed to all of you from a single source. First, let me apologize for the length of this email, but I think a detailed explanation is warranted. 

As you all know, fundraising by Torch Runners and Athletes took place leading up to the proposed World Games in Kazan, Russia. When those Games were canceled, the decision was made by SOI and the LETR International Executive Council to split the fundraising revenue with 95% going back to the programs and 5% going to SOI to cover administrative costs. 

A request has been made that those Torch Runners and Athletes who raised funds for Kazan, who are also participating in the upcoming Final Leg in Berlin, receive a credit toward their 2023 individual fundraising goals. The threshold for earning an official Final Leg Torch for individual fundraisers is $3,000. 

There are several components of that request that are just not fiscally sound: number one, the Kazan fundraising dollars that were previously distributed came from another fiscal year budget. Those dollars are gone; secondly, Final Legs are separate budgeted events. The 2023 Final Leg started with a ZERO budget. There was no carryover from Kazan; the LETR International Council budget has not recovered from the impact of COVID (the current Council budget is at a 60% shortfall). In fact, we had to cut two positions from the Berlin Final Leg team to close the budget gap. Lastly, 25 Berlin Torch Runners raised money for Kazan, representing nearly 25% of the team. With Berlin fundraising dollars being unpredictable at this point, that could potentially result in a major hit to our Berlin budget. 

Here is the example I like to use: If Sally from Program X raised $2,500 for the Kazan Final Leg, and raises $500 for the Berlin Final Leg, based on the applied credit, she would qualify for a torch. That $500 is split 50/50 between SOI and the program, leaving the Final Leg Planning Committee with $250. The purchase of a torch, with shipping, runs about $650.  SOI would have to take dollars raised by another program’s Final Leg runner, to pay for Sally’s torch. That is simply not fair to the other programs, or to their donors. 

It was also suggested that the credit be applied, and the home program could cover the cost of the Torch. The committee, or Council, will not stand in the way of a program wishing to purchase a Torch for their Final Leg Runner.  But, to take that stance “globally,” knowing there are programs out there struggling to make their own budgets, would not be wise either. 

Bottom line, I am tasked with the fiscal health of this Final Leg, and given our current budget situation, I’m not able to purchase items for which we do not have the funding to support. I think that’s a fairly prudent position to take. 

You should also know that this decision was not made in a vacuum. The Management Team of the Final Leg Planning Committee discussed this topic at length. With that said, I am the Chairman of that committee, so the final decision lands squarely in my lap. 

I hope you understand, and I am always open to any questions or comments."

The Drought is Breaking

 

THE INFORMATION DROUGHT IS BREAKING

One of the more unusual aspects of the preparations for this Final Leg event has been the delays we have experienced in releasing critical information to you.

We would have liked to have shared information about the running routes, ceremonies, accommodation etc months ago, but we simply have not been able to do so.

But the drought is breaking!

I am pleased today to publish two documents that I hope will be of value to all team members.  The first is a Team Guide which is broken into three parts:

•  THE FINAL LEG TEAM
•  FLIGHTS & HOTEL
• THE FINAL LEG

The second document is a Book of Maps.  It is a PDF document that contains the run routes for all 19 Torch runs that we will undertake between 14 and 17 June.  

Please remember that you can also access the live Alltrails maps from the Team Portal.

Click on the Cover Page images below to download the two documents. 

They are also available for download from the Team Portal.

 More to come

 

TEE-SHIRTS FOR AFRICA

For a number of years, the LETR International Executive Council has been working with Special Olympics Africa to try and get sustainable Law Enforcement Torch Run programs up and running across Africa.

The driving force behind this initiative in Africa is Joe Mutua who has responsibility within the SO Africa Region office for Program Development.

Joe was in touch with me yesterday looking for some assistance.  He is hosting a 2 hour LETR training session next week (May 30) with 20 of the 30 African Special Olympics programs and was seeking content for the session.  Thanks go out to one of our Torch Operators on the Final Leg - and Council member, Joe Carlone for volunteering to assist with the training.

Joe Mutua's email got me to thinking about other ways that we could assist.  And from that little thought bubble came 'Tee-Shirts for Africa'.

Joe will be in Berlin for the World Games and I thought it would be a great opportunity to collect some Torch Run Tee-Shirts that he could take back with him to distribute as he sees fit.

So, if you are inclined to do so, could you please throw in an extra Torch Run shirt from your program (probably something in the medium to large range) and drop it off to the Logistics Team when you arrive in Berlin.  We'll make sure they get to Joe and ultimately down to Africa.  If you can, please pin a business card to the shirt so he knows who donated it.

This is not mandatory or compulsory - only if you can and think it is a worthy idea.

Thanks