Olympians bring home the gold, silver & bronze Hazlet Rockets excel in N.J. Special Olympic Winter Games BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer The Hazlet Rockets left for the Olympic games with their snowshoes and skis and returned with 19 medals and a bunch of fun memories of competing with friends. Clockwise from top: Hazlet Rockets pose at the New Jersey Special Olympics Winter Games held in Mahwah (l-r) back row, Kevin Calamarie, Alexa Zajonc, Kevin Daley, Heather O'Brien, Janice Perry, Theresa Boyle; front, Melissa Connolly, Thomas Orsini, Phil Galvano, Morgan Daley, Veronica Jost, Matt Lane. Connolly (l-r), Boyle and O'Brien (lanes 1, 3 and 4) at the 50 meter cross-country time trial. Daley, Jost, O'Brien and Perry, who comprise The Rocket First Place Unified 4x1K relay team, celebrate their strong showing. Cross-country skier O'Brien won gold in the 100 and 500 meter events and the 4x1K relay in her division. The Rockets showed off their skills in cross-country skiing and snowshoeing at the New Jersey Special Olympics Winter Games held Jan. 27-29 at Campgaw Mountain in Mahwah. Hazlet was the only team from Monmouth County to compete in the events that saw the Rockets come home with 13 gold medals, five silver medals and one bronze. Cross-country skier Heather O'Brien won gold in the 100 meters, the 500 meters and the 4x1 unified relay in her division. The Rockets 4x1 unified relay team consisted of O'Brien, Morgan Daley, Veronica Jost and Janice Perry. Perry also won the gold medal in the 500-meter race and 100-meter race in her division. The snowshoe event was added to the winter games in New Jersey for the first time this year. Matthew Lane and Kevin Daley both won gold medals in the 100- and 200- meter races in their divisions. Thomas Orsini came home with two silver medals. "Once again, the event was a success for all of the athletes, families, coaches and volunteers involved," Marc Edenzon, president of Special Olympics New Jersey, said in a press release. "We are very appreciative of all of the hard work that our athletes, volunteers and sponsors dedicated to make this an event to remember." This year athletes were competing to qualify for a place on the United States Team to the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, scheduled to be held in Boise, Idaho, in February 2009. The 24 athletes, who have yet to be selected, will be invited to train in Colorado in December and then will compete two months later at the world games, which will include more than 2,500 athletes from 85 countries. New Jersey will be sending the most athletes of any state nationwide to represent Team USA. Although she does not know who will be selected from her squad, Hazlet Special Olympics coach Mary Beth Stansfield said that she is honored to work with such great competitors. "I am so proud of our athletes," Stansfield said. "They trained very hard and did awesome. They were so happy to win medals for their school, Raritan High School."