February 21st Newsletter

2/21/2025

Events / Activities / Updates

Upcoming Events:

Fundrive is scheduled for February 28th. (See details below)
Swimming: March 29 at The Chuck Fruit Aquatics Center in Edwardsville.
Coaches: Entries due Feb. 26.
Spring Games: April 27 at Triad High School.
Coaches: Entries due March 26.
Gymnastics: May 3 at ***NEW LOCATION*** Greenville University Gymnastics, 1450 E City Rte 40, Greenville, IL
Coaches: Entries Due April 2.

SUMMER GAMES: June 20-22, 2025 in Bloomington/Normal.
If you anticipate your attendance this year, we strongly suggest reserving a hotel room now!

2025 Membership Dues are Due
Its a new year and with a the new year comes our membership dues.
To complete your 2025 Membership Dues, please visit our online Square to make your payment!

2025 Event Dates & Deadlines Website Links

Millstadt Autism Walk 2025

This year's Millstadt Autism Walk is Saturday April 5th, 2025 at 12pm
Millstadt Village Park
Walk Shirts must be purchased by Wednesday March 19th. Your purchase is your registration for the Walk.
Shirt pick up is Wednesday April 2nd and Thursday April 3rd, 4-7 at Otts Tavern.
If not able to pick up at that time, shirts can be picked up at the event.

Event Attractions

Food Trucks
Kettle Corn
Mrs Sipp Fresh Craft Mocktails
Inflatables
Bubble Station
Game Truck
Sensory and STEAM activities
Ainad Krazy Klowns
Shriners Children’s Hospital Screening Clinic
Fire Trucks and Ambulance
Family Resources
Raffles including a 50/50 drawing
Star Wars Characters
Bluey and Bingo
Skye and Chase from Paw Patrol
We Rock the Spectrum Edwardsville
Without Limits Special Olympics Cheerleaders
Millstadt Tiny Library
And more!

Proceeds from the event will go to the Without Limits Special Olympics Teams
and to continue support of inclusive programs, families, and the community.
Link to purchase Walk Shirt….

Spirit Wear
Below is a link to our spirit wear fundraiser for Without Limits-Team Galaxy sports teams https://warriorlogowear.com/team_galaxy/shop
Please check it out and feel free to place your order! To order, all you must do is open an account and place your order.
Thank you so much for supporting Without Limits-Team Galaxy!!

2025 Polar Plunge
It's Freezing for a Reason Season!! That's right its time to sign up for the 2025 Polar Plunge. Grab your plunge team and head out to one of our local Plunge sites. All you have to do is click the link below to get started. Register for either the Collinsville Dumpster plunge on 2/28/25 or Carlyle Lake on 2/22/24. Let's make the 2025 Polar Plunge season one for the books. Register to plunge, join a team, and start fundraising today. Happy Plunge Season!!
https://plungeillinois.com/ -- Happy Shopping! https://willpromo.com/soill_plunge/shop/home

“The Evening of Entertainment – A Competitive Spotlight on Abilities”
Benefits the Recreation Council of Greater St. Louis

See Link for Flyer
Saturday, March 29, 2025 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Performance Application – DUE by February 28, 2025
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, 1201 South Warson Dr., St. Louis, MO 63124

Come Join Us for this Family-Friendly Event Highlighting the Wonderful Talent of Individuals with Disabilities. This Will Be an Evening You Will Not Forget!

Sponsored by Access-4-All, LLC to benefit the Recreation Council of Greater St. Louis, a not-for-profit organization which works to ensure that individuals with disabilities are aware of and have opportunities to participate in leisure and recreation activities of their choice. Funds raised will provide scholarships for recreation programs for individuals with disabilities.

To Learn More About the Recreation Council of Greater St. Louis Go to: www.RecreationCouncil.org or call 314-726-6044

Flag Football Tournament
WLTG will be co-hosting a Flag Football tournament on July 18th in the evening in Edwardsville for Illinois and St. Louis Regions. The co-host is a development program out of Dallas Texas.

Dance / Cheer / Gymnastics

Artistic Gymnastics

Sundays 9:00-10:00am
Gateway Elite Gymnastics -- 700 Old Collinsville Road / Fairview Heights, IL 62208
First practice: January 26th

Rhythmic Gymnastics:

Wednesdays
5:15 pm Group 1
6:00 pm Group 2
Stars R Us Dance Studio / 9241 B Bellar Dr., / Mascoutah, IL

Dance Scheduling -- Choreography / Practice Scheduling
See the latest schedule on the "Without Limits - The Arts" Facebook page!!

If your dancer needs to be scheduled, please contact Kati Hassall. Those who wish to compete with solo please also let Kati know. www.facebook.com/groups/1523704431426648

KATI Notes for February 25th!!!

Reminder - NO DANCE THIS WEEK! Isaiah has a school event.

The merch store with the new logo is OPEN! Follow the link here - https://gatewayimpressions.com/without_limits.../shop/home

I will be sending invoices TONIGHT. I will message them to you privately. Number of classes for Jan & Feb x $5 = total tuition for Jan & Feb. I will also add costume costs on there for those with solo costumes and competition fees!

Theater Schedule for March
Saturday, March 1st, 10:30am, Work on pgs 29-35 "It's Possible pt. 2" and "Alone in the Universe"
People needed:

Mr. Mayor
Mrs. Mayor
Jojo
Cats (all)
Fish
Horton

Saturday, March 8th, NO REHEARSAL
Saturday, March 15th, 10:30am, Work on pgs 35-38 "The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude Mcfuzz"
People needed:

Cats (all)
Gertrude Mcfuzz

Saturday, March 22nd, 10:30am, Work on pgs 38-47 "Monkey Around/Chasing the Whos"
People needed:

Jojo
Cats (all)
Jungle Citizens (all)
Wickersham Brothers (all)
Horton
Sour Kangaroo
Vlad Vladikoff

Saturday, March 29th, 10:30am, REVIEW EVERYTHING WE HAVE DONE SO FAR (aka pgs 1-47)
People needed: EVERYONE -- Please make sure you are practicing your parts! ❤️💙

Nutcracker & Theater & Dance Updates - Exciting News for 2025! From Kati!!!
See the latest schedule on the "Without Limits - The Arts" Facebook page!!

Nutcracker 2025:

Rehearsals Begin: June 2025
Performance Date: December 2025
Nutcracker Tea: Prior to the performance – an opportunity for friends and family to take pictures and meet our beloved characters! Date to be announced.

Important Nutcracker Notes:

If you were assigned a part and wish to keep it, **let me know ASAP.**
If you were assigned a part but no longer want to participate, **let me know ASAP.**
If you were not originally cast but want to participate, **let me know ASAP.** I would love to include you!
We are returning to the original Nutcracker version – forget any new choreography you may have started. We’re going back to the classic!

Choreography Help Needed:

I’m scheduling choreography now and need a few more people to help finish by February 2025. If you need choreography, please let me know!
Also, if you have any recordings of past choreography I’ve done, please send them my way. I lost my iPad with all my choreography notes! :(

Nationals Team - Addiction Nationals (Chicago)

Dates: June 24-29, 2025
Cost: Approximately $150/dancer
Location: Chicago
You will handle your own hotel and travel bookings.
You won’t need to stay all 4 days, but I’ll confirm our performance dates closer to time. Award days may differ from performance days. I’ll share the schedule as soon as I have it!

Solos/Duets

Recital or Competition: Let me know if you want to compete or just perform at the recital.
Addiction Nationals (Chicago): Solos/duets welcome! Approximate cost: $200/dancer
Addiction Regional (St. Louis): May 9-11, 2025
- Cost: Around $150/solo or $75/dancer in duets

Competition Team

Addiction Regional (St. Louis): May 9-11, 2025
Cost: About $60/dancer for group routines

Recital 2025

When: June 2025
Each dancer will perform in every class they participate in. Exact date coming soon!

Seussical Auditions
Missed out on audition materials for Seussical? Let me know and I’ll send them to you right away!

General Reminders:

Stay tuned to our Facebook page for class updates.
We follow Mascoutah school cancellations – if they’re closed, so are we.
Purchase your "SO-Cheer Gear" today!!!

Fundrive - Update & Reminder for SO Cheer!
Next Fundrive is scheduled for February 28th. Lets see if we can beat December's amount of 6742 pounds of donated clothing and items! We always need help loading and unloading the box truck. If you're available, please help in February. More details to follow.

Sports & Athletics

NEW Registration Portal - For Athletes (Especially Basketball & Swimming, Soccer, and Track)
A new Special Olympics Registration Portal has now been launched! And we need you to add your athlete!

This portal will be a place for you to register your athlete (this will now replace paper documents), engage with the larger Special Olympics organization, manage your athlete's medical information and find out about upcoming events and opportunities.

To get started, we'd ask that you visit this portal here and follow the instructions on the attached document. You will also complete a one-page version of the Medical Application (no doc signature needed) plus a new consent form. Once you've completed your registration you'll be able to manage your information! If you have two athletes, you will need to complete a "Add New Athlete" for both. Save your new username and password!

This is a mandatory request for any existing athlete and needs to be done ASAP. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sharks Swimming Team - 2025

Check your emails for important Regional Swimming Details!!!
Purchase your "Shark-ware" today!!!
Practice for both the Developmental and Competitive groups will continue next Sunday
Development group will have the pool from 3PM to 4PM
Competitive group will have the pool from 4PM to 5PM

Basketball

Schedule for State Tournament should be out next week. Coaches will distribute.
State is March 7th through 9th 2025

Soccer Teams & Skills

Interested in Soccer Team and/or Skill - Read this letter!
Mandatory Meeting: Held on February 25th at 6PM at Leu Civic Center.
- All athletes and parents to attend and assure CoE profiles and paperwork is complete
- Practice schedules will be determined
Will begin last week of February either Tuesday or Thursday
WLTG will be hosting a mini-tournament on March 22nd at Mascoutah High School
Regional will be held on April 27th.

Athletic Teams / Track & Field

Interested in Athletic Teams / Track & Field - Read this letter!
Mandatory Meeting: Held on February 25th at 6PM at Leu Civic Center.
- All athletes and parents to attend and assure CoE profiles and paperwork is complete
- Practice schedules will be determined
Will begin last week of February
Location will be Mascoutah High School on Wednesdays at 6PM

Tennis 2025
Without Limits-Team Galaxy is taking an interest list for tennis, which will start the first week of April.

Parents Meeting: April 5th at 9AM at Mascoutah High School. If bad weather, Scheve Park Pavilion.
Assessments / Practices:
- Assessments will be held on 12 and 19 April at 9:00 at Mascoutah High School Tennis Courts.
- Assessments for teams and skills will be conducted on those days.
- Practices will be on Saturdays at 9:00.
- We may play other tournaments or game as they come available.
- Regionals will be held on 29 June 2025 in Bloomington. Entries will be turn in by 23 May.
  State Tennis will be held in Bloomington in August.
Without Limits-Team Galaxy needs to know the number of athletes so they can assure they have enough coaches and possible Unified partner
If interested in one of those sports, please contact us at [email protected]
Athletes must have CoE Profile completed and be a member of Without Limits - Team Galaxy.

Interested in Bags? Cornhole? Kickball? Handball?
WLTG is looking to find out what the interest is in Cornhole (bags), kickball and handball.
Cornhole is a Unified and traditional sport.

Handball is a sport like soccer and basketball. A demonstration will be done to show the game.
We are trying to find out if parents or athletes would be interested in Unified soccer. It would have its own season during the summer.
State for Unified soccer is in September 2015

Congratulations to all our Winter Games Athletes!
Galena was extra snowy this year with 8in of powder falling on the athletes the day events started. All our snow shoe racers came home with medals and a lot of fantastic memories! Way to go Without Limits Team Galaxy!