Mariah and Jayne standing by while Refs measure their roll.
(left to right) Bill Dockham, Melody Nilson, Mariah Langer, Jayne Mederios.
Dawson Beneventi (pictured) and Jackson Reidy played a 9-hole unified partner division and they scored a 62, taking a second-place medal.
Edith K. Throwing a shot put.
Melody Nilson took a gold (1st place medal).
THE GORGE — On June 7, four Hood River area Special Olympics athletes traveled to Mt. View Champions Park in Beaverton, Oregon, to compete in the Oregon Special Olympics regional competition. The day started out warm and proceeded to hotter. Heat radiated off the turf and two Hood River teams competed against three other teams in their respective divisions.
Mariah Langer and her unified partner Jayne Mederios ended the day with three wins. They collected gold medals at the awards ceremony.
Team partners Bill Dockham and Melody Nilson tied for second place and were awarded silver medals.
Special Olympics Oregon laid out 18 bocce courts on the field, and coaches Brian McCavitt and Mike Nilson kept a close eye on the ever-changing schedule. Coordinators and volunteers worked non-stop to record results, award medals and keep the matches running smoothly.
“A special thank you to Wy’East Vineyards for welcoming our athletes to practice at their first class bocce ball courts,” said McCavitt.
Hood River Special Olympics has activities throughout the year including bowling, soccer, swimming, basketball, skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, athletics (track and field), bocce, and golf. Cornhole will be a new sport in winter 2026.
Golfers go for Gold
The summer regional golf tournament for Special Olympics Oregon was held at Stone Creek golf club in Oregon City, Oregon, on Sunday, June 8, 2025. “Despite the incredibly hot temperature, our team did amazing,” said Golf Coach Jorie Modrich.
In the Individual skills competition, which includes driving, iron shot, chip shot, pitch shot and long and short putts, Hood River Special Olympics had three athletes competing this year. In each of their divisions, Jeremiah Carlos Urban took a gold (1st place medal), Melody Nilson took a gold (1st place medal) and Jose Marquez took a silver (2nd place medal). All three athletes are first year competitors. Dawson Beneventi and Jackson Reidy played a 9-hole unified partner division and they scored a 62, taking a second-place medal. William Edward Cook Jr. played in the individual 9-hole division and took gold with a score of 58.
“It has been such a blessing to be a part of Special Olympics and I want to give a special shout out and huge thank you to Indian Creek Golf Course in Hood River for sponsoring our team and giving them the practice they needed to have fun and compete. We could not have done it without their generosity. What a wonderful, special community we live in here in the Columbia River Gorge,” said Modrich.
Hood River Special Olympics is always looking for new athletes, coaches, and volunteers. To get involved contact the Local Program Coordinator Naomi Grimsley at 503-467-7511 or email
Coaches Brian McCavitt, Jorie Modrich and Mike Nilson contributed to this report.
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