Oakdale, Woodbury Golfers Competed in State Special Olympics Championship

The Woodbury Blazing Stars had a pretty good weekend.

The team participated in the Minnesota Special Olympics Fall Games Golf Championship on Sunday at the . Ten of the 11 players who participated in the event took home a gold, silver or bronze medal. 

"Our athletes worked really hard at practice and it showed," said Pauline Whelan, the team's headcoach. 

Whelan, who lives in Oakdale, coaches the team of athletes who live in Oakdale, Woodbury, Cottage Grove and the surrounding areas, Whelan said.

Special Olympics athletes can compete in three different areas:

• The Skills Competition: Athletes demonstrate their skill level in six different areas of golf.
• Three-Hole Event: Athletes can either golf by themselves or with an able-bodied partner.
• Nine-Hole Event, which is the highest level of competition. Athletes can golf by themselves or with a Unified Partner where they alternate sets.

"That's something that's unique about our program," said Pam Bergerson, the vice president of Sports and Education. "This allows athletes to compete in an alternate-shot format with someone without a disability, like a family member or a friend."

More than 400 athletes competed in the golf championship this year, Bergerson said. Oak Marsh has hosted the event for the past several years. 

The Woodbury Star Blazers have disabilities ranging from physical to learning disabiities and their ages range from 8 years old to the 20s. The team has 13 athletes, but only 11 participated in the event this year. 

"Most of our players have participated year after year," Whelan said. "It's really cool to see them come together because they meet other Special Olympics athletes from other areas of the state and there is a lot of socializing."

The group practices every week at Eagle Valley Golf Course in Woodbury and they will be ready to compete again next year. 

"The athletes are really proud because this is the big one of the year," Whelan said. "They have a lot of spectators and are very proud."

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