Too Cold For Winter Games

This weekend's weather is bringing dangerously cold temperatures to the Capital Region, with the most extreme expected for Sunday Night (10-15 below for the Albany area and 20-30 below for the Adirondacks).  In addition to the postponement of the Special Olympics' Winter Games, please remember to bring your pets inside and report or help any pets that are left outside this weekend.

The Special Olympics New York has decided to postpone the Winter Regional Games at West Mountain, which was to be hosted this Saturday, January 22, 2011.

The primary and sole factor in making this decision came down to safety for all of the athletes!  Weather predictions on Saturday ranged from an extreme low of 3 degrees to 13 degrees, with a wind chill factor of -4 degrees during the most essential times of the competition that day.  Again, this decision was made, first and foremost, with the safety of the athletes in mind.  The Games will be rescheduled at a later date.

Special Olympics New York is grateful to West Mountain and owner Mike Barbone, who said in a statement, "The Special Olympics Competition is an event that all employees of West Mountain look forward to every year. We will continue to work with Special Olympics New York to reschedule the event for later this season. We've got plenty of snow and we can move it anywhere we need it to make it happen and to make sure that these athletes have their chance to compete. "

Special Olympics New York, which does not charge athletes to participate, provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in 22 Olympic-style sports for 48,761 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Through their participation in Special Olympics New York, athletes have an opportunity to gain confidence and build a positive self-image, which carries into the classroom, the home, the workplace and the community.

Regional corporate sponsors that make this event possible include Capital Care, CDPHP CR BARD, Hannay Reels, Hudson River Community Credit Union, MOMENTIVE Performance Materials, NYSID, Pitney Bowes and T.M. Byxbee Company, CPA’s.