SWIMMING Second Carlson meet set at YSU

The Carlsons plan to underwrite the annual event indefinitely.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The second Kelly Jo Carlson Memorial Special Olympics swim meet is Oct. 23 at Youngstown State University's Beeghly Natatorium.
Kelly, who died at age 33 on April 21, 2004, enjoyed volunteering and helped with Special Olympics events since she was a child.
Because of her interest in Special Olympics, Kelly's parents, Paul and Lois Carlson of Bazetta, asked that monetary tributes at the time of her death go to the Special Olympics program.
Kelly's family felt that the most appropriate use of about $3,000 donated by friends and relatives, which Carlson said was "overwhelming," would be to sponsor an event in her memory that combined her interests of athletics and volunteering.
The first meet was held
As a result, the first Area 11 Kelly Jo Carlson Memorial Special Olympics regional swim meet was conducted Oct. 24, 2004.
This year's meet, of which the Trumbull County Fairhaven Program is again the host, will have teams from Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties, which make up Area 11, said Carol Kirsch, adaptive physical education teacher and coordinator for Special Olympics at Fairhaven.
Because it is an open meet, Kirsch said there may be teams from other counties as well. Also, she said because it is a regional meet, swimmers can qualify for the state meet. Some 100 swimmers participated in 2004.
The meet begins at 1:45 p.m. and is expected to end at about 4 p.m., Kirsch said.
The money donated in Kelly's memory, a graduate of the former Warren Western Reserve High School and Kent State University, is used for pool fees and other costs associated with the meet, such as officials, life guards and awards.
Carlson said he and his family plan to underwrite the annual Area 11 Kelly Jo Carlson Memorial Swim Meet indefinitely.
& quot;It helps the Special Olympics and it helps us deal with Kelly's death, & quot; Carlson said.
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