NEwsletter for January 6, 2025

Events / Activities / Updates

January Fun Night - January 10th

• Please join us from 6-9pm on Friday, January 10, 2025 for our Fun Night! The event will be held at the Swansea Moose Lodge 1221 at 2425 N. Illinois Street. We will be serving Pizza and Salad. 
• The event is free for all paid Without Limits-Team Galaxy members and $5 for non-members. 
• Any person with Special Needs is welcome. 
• Meal is for Registered Special Olympics Eligible Attendees Only
• Please register here to attend

Elvis Is In the Building!!!
Come see Jeff Caldwell, Elvis Impersonator and The Vinyl Frontier Band

• February 1st at 7 PM to 10 PM.  Doors open at 6PM
• Open to the public. 
• $5 Donation for entry.  Donations go to Without Limits Team Galaxy. 
• Special drinks and a dinner basket will be available.  
• The Belleville / Swansea Moose Lodge building

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!  

Shoot the Rock Event - January 11th at 2PM
SO Cheer will be cheering on the Without Limits - Team Galaxy Basketball teams and the Mascoutah First Responders for the Shoot the Rock event.  Leu Civic Center in Mascoutah on January 11th at 2 PM.  

Granite City Knights of Columbus Dinner & Dance
It is time again for the annual Granite City Knights of Columbus Dinner Dance!

• What: Granite City Knights of Columbus Dinner Dance
• When: Saturday, Feb 1, 2025
• Where: Granite City Knights of Columbus, 4225 Old Alton Rd, Granite City, IL
• Times: Doors Open at 5:30 PM. Dinner at 6:00 PM, Dance after dinner
• RSVP is required for attendance!!!

Please send a roster of chaperones, clients, and 1 contact person per agency with a phone number. Rosters must be sent to Paul Hellrich at [email protected] ASAP. For additional details you can call Paul at 618-407-3011.

• All attendees must be on your RSVP roster!
• ***Please refrain from making additions to your roster after the deadline***
• Deadline date for RSVPs coming soon

2025 Event Dates & Deadlines Website Links

• 2025 Special Olympics of IL Event Dates & Deadlines 
• Fun Nights for 2025 - Schedules​

Medical-Fest Opportunity
We are looking for doctors and nurses that could legally sign our medical applications.
We are looking at using the Mascoutah Leu Civic Center and have athletes come in and do an annual medical application.
This way we can as an organization stay on top of the medical application process.

• Looking to get it organized for December
• If you are interested or know someone that could help, please email [email protected]

Follow us now on LinkedIn
We are expanding our professional communication reach now through LinkedIn.  If you have a LinkedIn profile, please follow us and spread our network!  Without Limits - Team Galaxy LinkedIn Page.

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

Dance / Cheer / Gymnastics

Dance Scheduling  --  Choreography / Practice Scheduling
If your dancer needs to be scheduled, please contact Kati Hassall.  Those who wish to compete with solo please also let Kati know.  
​
Dance classes will begin on January 9th, assuming the weather is okay.
The schedule will be as follows:

• 5:30-6:10, Boys ages 10+
• 6:15-6:55, Girls ages 8+
• 7-7:30, COMPETITION/NATIONALS group (this will alternate week to week, so please be watching for emails)
• 7:30-8, solo spot 1
• 8-8:30, solo spot 2
• The solo spots will also alternate week to week, so please look out if it is your week. If you do not hear from Kati Hassall that week, please assume that it is NOT your week.

If you need a solo or dance choreographed, or need to schedule a private time with Kati, please let her know!  It will be important that solos are practiced at home since Kati will only have time to do 2 solos a week and they need to alternate.

Nutcracker & Dance Updates - Exciting News for 2025!  From Kati!!!
Hello Dancers and Families!
I have some exciting updates and important dates to share with you. Let’s dive right in!

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.  

I’m feeling refreshed and ready for an amazing year!
Please communicate what you’re interested in participating in.
I can’t wait to see you all soon!

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.  

Artistic Gymnastics

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

Rhythmic Gymnastics:

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

​Sports & Athletics

Winter Games - 2025 Galena
Details for the winter games are coming.  As soon as we have information and schedules, we will provide these on this website.  It should be available this week.  

Snow Shoe

• Congratulations to all who made participated last weekend and those who will compete at Winter State Games next February 11th. 
• ​Winter Games will be on February 11 - 13, 2025 in Galena
• Next practice will be on Saturday, January 11 at 9AM in Mascutah's Scheve Park.  

Next 2025 Sports Events!!

• 4 January: Regionals for Snow Shoe at Rend Lake
• 5 January: Oakaville Basketball tournament
• 11 January: Basketball teams play Mascoutah EMS
• Next Sports will be Athletics, Soccer and Bags!  

​
Sharks Swimming Team - 2025 
Sharks Swimming is almost here!  Are you ready Swimmers!  If you have been contacted regarding Class A's or other necessary forms, please have them ready for us at the start of swimming practice.  

• First practice for both the Developmental and Competitive groups will be Sunday,  January 26th.  
• Practices will be held at the CMT YMCA on Sundays starting next month
• Practices will run from January to May every Sunday at the times below.  
• Development group will have the pool from 3PM to 4PM
• Competitive group will have the pool from 4PM to 5PM

Basketball

• Normal practice this week at Leu Civic Center
• Skills practice will move to Saturday, January 28th at 5PM @ Leu Civic Center in Mascoutah
• Scrimmage game against Mascoutah EMS will be played on 11 January (Saturday) at the Leu
  Civic Center at 1:30.
  • Each of the Without Limits Teams will play a 20 minute (10 minute
    halves) against EMS.
  • The girls will start off and then Shooting Stars and finish with Superstars.
  • Skills will have contests during the breaks.
• Regionals is February 2, 2025 (SUNDAY) in Trenton
  • Teams will start at 8AM
  • Skills will start at 9AM
• State is March 7th through 9th 2025

Practice Schedule

• Tuesday:  6PM Girls Team  / 7PM Superstars
• Thursday: 6PM Skills / 7PM Shooting Starts

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

. Any additions for dance /
Young Athletes - Coach Needed
We are looking for a second coach for our Young Athletes program.
Special Olympics Young Athletes is an early childhood play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities, ages 2 to 7 years old. Young Athletes introduces basic sport skills, like running, kicking and throwing. Young Athletes offers families, teachers, caregivers and people from the community the chance to share the joy of sports with all children.
Please reach out to us and join the team!