Bayzil "Bolt" Moreau
Hometown: Stratham
Age: 17
Local Program: Exeter Area Athletes
Sports: Athletics, Basketball, & Soccer
Age: 17
Local Program: Exeter Area Athletes
Sports: Athletics, Basketball, & Soccer
Bayzil “the bolt” Moreau is fast. Bayzil qualified for the 2018 Special Olympics USA Summer Games in Seattle through a new high performance category. In order to qualify, athletes must complete specific events at or above a predetermined level. For the 100M run, males must complete the race in (or under) 13.44 seconds. Bayzil was one of two athletes in NH that qualified in running events. When asked about his speed (and nickname), Bayzil explained that “when I was little, I saw Usain Bolt get the world record and ever since then I wanted to do the same.”
Bayzil is certainly on his way. Last year, he took home the gold in the 100M Run at the State Summer Games, his high school was runner-up for the Unified Soccer State Championship and his high school Unified Basketball team won the State Championship.
Bayzil is certainly a standout athlete, but remains humble about his role on the team. “The team feels like a big family,” he said, “and we all have respect for each other’s talents. To be a team, not everyone has to be the same, you need a bunch of different people with a bunch of different talents. When we work together, with our different talents, we are the best we can be.”
Bayzil is certainly on his way. Last year, he took home the gold in the 100M Run at the State Summer Games, his high school was runner-up for the Unified Soccer State Championship and his high school Unified Basketball team won the State Championship.
Bayzil is certainly a standout athlete, but remains humble about his role on the team. “The team feels like a big family,” he said, “and we all have respect for each other’s talents. To be a team, not everyone has to be the same, you need a bunch of different people with a bunch of different talents. When we work together, with our different talents, we are the best we can be.”
Kora "Runs like the Wind" Kalfaoglu
Hometown: Exeter
Age: 24
Local Program: Exeter Area Athletes
Sports: Athletics & Bowling
Age: 24
Local Program: Exeter Area Athletes
Sports: Athletics & Bowling
Kora "Runs like the Wind" Kalfaoglu is a proud member of the Exeter Area Athletes Local Program. When asked about her experiences with the Special Olympics, it all circles back to Exeter pride! She is proud of her team’s long history because Exeter Area Athletes is led by Jim Tufts who attended the very first State Summer Games in NH in 1970. She is proud of the nickname her team has given her, “before every race Coach Tufts tells me to run like the wind,” Kora said, “and I always do.” And she is proud of her team’s peer coaches, who, she explained, not only help her with track & field but also have become her friends.
When asked what motivates Kora to keeping running like the wind, the answer is simple…gold medals! Kora has quite a few in her collection already, including two that she took home at the 2017 State Summer Games for the 100M and 50M runs. Kora is hoping to add a few more to her collection as she trains to compete in the Special Olympics USA Games this summer in Seattle.
So far, the Games have been a lot of fun and a lot of firsts for Kora. She attended training camp with the team in December and it was her first time every staying overnight without her family. Kora remembers being nervous at first, but eventually she says that “I just chill-laxed and had fun!” Kora is looking forward to her trip to Seattle. She is hoping to see the Space Needle and can’t wait to have a roommate. “My brother is in college and he has a roommate,” Kora said, “So I am very excited to get to have one too. My roommate might be friendly, and maybe I will make a new friend.
When asked what motivates Kora to keeping running like the wind, the answer is simple…gold medals! Kora has quite a few in her collection already, including two that she took home at the 2017 State Summer Games for the 100M and 50M runs. Kora is hoping to add a few more to her collection as she trains to compete in the Special Olympics USA Games this summer in Seattle.
So far, the Games have been a lot of fun and a lot of firsts for Kora. She attended training camp with the team in December and it was her first time every staying overnight without her family. Kora remembers being nervous at first, but eventually she says that “I just chill-laxed and had fun!” Kora is looking forward to her trip to Seattle. She is hoping to see the Space Needle and can’t wait to have a roommate. “My brother is in college and he has a roommate,” Kora said, “So I am very excited to get to have one too. My roommate might be friendly, and maybe I will make a new friend.