CA gymnast competes at high level
March 17th, 2009
From the Contra Costa [CA] Times:
Chelsea Werner, 17, who has Down syndrome, has achieved competitive status as a gymnast and performs as a junior-varsity cheerleader at San Ramon Valley High in Danville, California. An excerpt:
Chelsea gets no special treatment from her coaches. She’s at practice in Livermore four hours a day, three days a week. She’s at a Level Five in competition, a competitive category that some girls never reach, said Kathryn Alson, who also coaches Chelsea.
“It’s a very unusual occurrence,” said Tracy Trotter, who has worked with about 100 children with Down syndrome in 30 years as a pediatrician. “I think she’s the only one at this level.”
He said he uses Chelsea as an example to other patients of how having a disability doesn’t have to stop a child from being a kid.
(Contra Costa Times photo)
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October 7th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Ignacio Villanueva, Special Olympics writer from Buenos Aires, Argentina is tring to locate Chelsea Werner, to cast her in a commercial or report for the upcoming Mexican Special Olympics.
Please make contact so that we can forward contact information to Mr. Villanueva in Argentina.
Thank you.
Melly Mendoza
Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas
Board Member
http://www.dsact.com
March 19th, 2009 at 12:14 am
Wonderful to hear about Chelsea! I’m the dad (and for many years coach) of Janet Dill, who was a gymnast as well. I always look for the kids/women who will follow her.
Janet was SO level 3 and in her era was only allowed to be part of the (very competive) high school team if I was there to train her. She performed only as a “demo” on vault as the team couldn’t carry her on the official roster. She got her sports letter and wore it proudly.
Sometimes she was the best gymnast in NYSO and she went to Nationals in skiing in ’94 and World Games in ’95 as a gymnast.
Today, she is a hiker, skier, and survivor of leukemia and other challenges in her late 20′s. She works three days a week in a program helping people more handicapped than herself and lives in her own apartment with only a little help.
Chelsea .. Keep it up .. and help pioneer for the kids following!
Rick
March 18th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Bravo!