Karen Tellinghuisen Is On First Leg Of Journey To Olympics In Romania

FALCONER – Karen Tellinghuisen of Falconer is completing her first step toward the 13th World Games for the Deaf in Bucharest, Romania. She is now at Morganton, N.C., a school for the deaf where the United States team will put the finishing touches on its training program, according to her father, Edward D. Tellinghuisen.Karen, a javelin thrower, is being sent to the world meet by Jamestown and area contributors who, through a campaign of several weeks, have donated enough money to permit her mother, Rachel Tellinghuisen, to accompany her.

Jamestown and area individuals and organizations, through outright donations and promotion of special events, have brought the fund to $6,262.45, according to volunteer treasurer Gary Fiscus of Erie County Savings Bank.

The deaf athletes being conditioned at Morganton are all sponsored by residents of their various communities since the American Athletic Association for the Deaf, a non-profit group, has no budget for such trips.

Karen left Buffalo Airport Friday for Morganton. She and her teammates will be at the North Carolina site until July 12, when they travel to Washington, D. C., for their departure by plane to Bucharest. The World Games are July 16-28 after which the United States team will be treated to an extended tour of other countries.

Events scheduled for the b1977 games include track and field, swimming, basketball, wrestling, shooting, cycling, soccer, tennis, gymnastics, table tennis, volleyball, team handball, water polo and judo.

The World Games, started in 1924, are held every four years. The first one was staged in Paris with nine nation s and 145 athletes competing. Since then the games have been at Amsterdam, Nuremberg, London, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Brussels, Milan, Helsinki, Washington, Belgrade and Malmo in Sweden. Thirty-two nations and 1,132 athletes competed in the Malmo games and the figure is expected to be considerably higher this year.

Karen, who was born deaf, has never attended public school. She is attending St. Mary’s School for the Deaf at Buffalo where she has been under the training of Lou Pennella, director of athletics.

What are Karen’s chances of winning a medal? Pennella thinks they are excellent, at least a first, second of third place medal. He points out Julie Olney of the United States won the javelin event at Malmo with a toss of 125 feet, 5 ½ inches. Pennella says that Karen has come very close to that figure.

One of the latest and largest fundraising events was a spaghetti dinner sponsored by the Falconer Firemen at the Falconer Community Building. George Beckerink and Tim Strickland were the chairmen for the fete that put $1,308 into the fund.

Fiscus said the contributions ran from small personal amounts to larger special promotions similar to the Falconer Firemen’s event.

Some of the major contributors: Thule Lodge, Samuel Derby Post 566 American Legion, Business and Professional Women’s Club, Jamestown Lions, Local 38 United Auto Workers, MRC-TRW, Lakewood Area Junior Miss Pageant, Lakewood Memorial Post Veterans Club, Kiwanis of Jamestown, Henry Mosher Post 638 American Legion, Mosher Sons of the Legion, Jamestown Rotary Club, Maple Grove Junior-Senior Activities Fund, Falconer Lions, Randolph Lions, BPOE Elks Lodge 263 Jamestown, Local 40 Furniture Workers of America, Falconer Educational Association and Ross Grange of Falconer.