H-ton Special Olympians Reap Medals at State Games
Huntington High School’s snowshoe Special Olympians returned from the New York State Winter Games with a horde of gold, silver and bronze medals after a series of sensational performances last weekend in Syracuse.
Andrew Oh, Liam Mrotzek, John Cronin and Brendan Cribbin were impressive in the snowshoeing events held at Thornden Park. The team won the gold medal in the 4x100m relay, with Cronin anchoring the Blue Devils and crossing the finish line one second ahead of the runners-up.
Mrotzek also won gold medals in the 200m dash and 400m run. Cronin won a gold medal in the 100m dash. Cribbin won a gold medal in the 100m dash and a silver medal in the 200m dash. Oh won a bronze medal in the 100m dash. (Some of the athletes compete in the same event, but in different divisions/age groups.)
“Our athletes have been practicing hard,” said Linda Costello-Roth, who coaches the Blue Devils. “They love to compete and they especially enjoy winning a medal. They represent Huntington and the Blue Devils with pride.”
The Winter Games opened last Friday night at the Oncenter in Syracuse. The ceremonies included a Parade of Athletes, entertainment and the lighting of the Special Olympics cauldron.
Competition started at 8 a.m. on Saturday. It didn’t take long for the Huntington contingent to start winning medals. The Winter Games drew about 1,000 athletes from across New York. The athletes displayed their skills in alpine and cross country skiing, figure skating, floor hockey and snowshoe events.
At the earlier regional championships in Queensbury, near Lake George, the Blue Devils were also golden. Huntington won the 4x100m relay gold medal. Mrotzek captured gold medals in the 200m and 400m events. Cribbin won silver medals in the 100m and 200m. Cronin won a silver medal in the 50m. Oh took bronze medals in the 50m and 100m.
“Special Olympics is the largest amateur sports organization in the world,” according to the organization’s website. “With nearly 65,000 athletes, Special Olympics New York is the largest chapter in North American and the sixth largest chapter in the world. Special Olympics New York athletes train and compete year-round in 22 sports.”