News & Media

Special Olympics Oxford Athlete Kyle Bertolini will be going Over The Edge for Special Olympics Connecticut at Mohegan Sun for a first time this Friday, September 1st! 

He's feeling a little nervous - especially about the looking down part - but is mostly excited to rappel alongside his "favorite" cousin Erin Connole of the Avon Police Department, Connecticut! 

Both Kyle and Erin have a long history of involvement in Special Olympics. 

Kyle started out as an athlete at the age of eight with the local program in New Hartford, where his parents were coordinators of the swim program. In addition to participating with the local team, he played Unified Sports® while attending Northwest Regional High School. 
Now 35 years old, Kyle says that he's participated in just about all of the sports Special Olympics Connecticut has to offer - including swimming, golf, snowshoeing, cycling and bowling. He decided to try croquet this season just to have a go at something new. Kyle says he stays involved because "I like meeting new people every year."

In addition to sports, Kyle has taken part in the Torch Run for many years in towns that include Winsted, Avon and this past June, Oxford, and he's participated in the Penguin Plunge with his cousin Erin in Winsted and Middletown and this year plunged in Monroe. 
When he's not at a Special Olympics event, Kyle works at Hillside Farm and enjoys spending time with is best friend, Kristen. He also enjoys going to Wolfpack games with Erin when he can!

Erin has been involved with the Torch Run as a runner, her Department's Special Olympics liaison and a member of the Connecticut Law Enforcement Torch Run Council. She is a seasoned Over the Edge, Penguin Plunge and Super Plunge participant and works tirelessly to organize fundraisers for Special Olympics and inspire other officers within her department and across the state to get involved. She attends Summer and Winter Games to cheer on the athletes, and even had the honor of presenting Kyle with one of his medals!

"It's amazing to see how much Kyle's grown through Special Olympics. He's always loved sports - even as a tiny baby when he couldn't even walk, he would try to throw a ball. It's great to see him develop that athletic love and be able to do his sports and also (benefit from) the social aspect of it. Every time we get together, he's always telling me about all his friends," says Erin. 

Erin can't wait for Kyle to be by her side when she rappels this time around. "It will be awesome. He's been talking about wanting to do it for so long," she says.

Kyle is a member of the Athlete All-Star Team for our Over the Edge event coming up this Friday! You can donate to support Kyle and the other members of his team here: https://give.soct.org/team/517998
We wish Kyle and Erin the best of luck and an amazing Over the Edge experience!