About Team NorCal:

Team NorCal consists of active, fun-loving, energetic people from Northern California who are organ transplant recipients, friends and family, and donor families who gather every 2 years to celebrate life and health by competing in athletic endeavors at the United States Transplant Games.

Team NorCal aims to grow and recruit new members for:

The NKF U.S. Transplant Games 2010 in Madison, Wisconsin!

July 30- August 4, 2010

Be sure to check this website to make plans to register for the 2010 Transplant Games!

www.transplantgames.org

Team NorCal is organized and run by a volunteer group: two team managers, donor family liaisons, and a steering committee.  Team NorCal is a program of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) of Northern California and Northern Nevada working in partnership with the California Transplant Donor Network.

Team Nor Cal consists of athletes who are organ transplant recipients who live in Northern California, their family members and friends, and donor families whose loved ones have made our transplants possible.  While knowing they are already "winners" no matter what the outcome of the competition, the athletes compete in 37 different events. The donor families whose gift of live makes this all possible bravely cheer on these athletes.  Both donor families and organ recipients honor the other for their courage and sacrifice.

In 2006, the U.S. Transplant Games were held in Louisville, Kentucky. Nearly 1,400 athletes and 7,000 invidividuals attended the Games. Team Nor Cal was privileged to be merged with Team Nevada, for a stellar, powerful unit of Team Nor Cal-Neva. The team consisted of 35 athletes as well as several donor family representatives. Our team brought home 22 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals. Team member Tracy Copeland of Reno, Nevada, was awarded the Jerry Cound Outstanding Female Athlete Award at the closing ceremonies.

This is what our athletes have to say:

“Despite the emotional and physical high of the athletic events, the true moving experiences came at the donor ceremonies, where we athletes were humbled and reminded that this wonderful health is only possible someone else suffered and died, and their family made an unselfish decision to give us life."- Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, double lung recipient

“What impacted us the most when we attended the 2006 Transplant Games was the overwhelming
gratefulness that was extended to us by organ recipients and their families. Even though they were
not the recipients of our son’s organs, we were a donor family and that was all that mattered. We left the Games realizing the importance of giving the organ recipients of our son, Eric, the opportunity to express their gratefulness and to learn about him and our family.” -Jacquelyn & Roger Hoff, Donor Parents

A message from our Team Manager Cathy Olmo in 2008:

"I want to personally thank each and every one of you for your gracious support, team spirit and wonderful attitude at the 2008 US Transplant Games. It was my pleasure and honor to be your team Manager—you made my job easy! I’m still smiling from ear to ear thinking of all the wonderful memories I’ll have from this year’s Games. Thanks again for a wonderful Games experience. It’s my 3rd official US Transplant Games and it gets better each time! It’s not too early to start recruiting more team members for 2010! We are in Madison, Wisconsin from July 30, 2010 to August 4, 2010!"

We hope you will consider joining this very special team in 2010!

Watch The 2006 Transplant Games Video

DATES TO REMEMBER:

The 2009 World Games are in the Gold Coast of Australia!

August 22-30, 2009

http://worldtransplantgames09.com/

Another Reminder:

The US Transplant Games will be in Madison, Wisconsin, July 30-August 4, 2010!

PAST GAMES:

August 25- September 2, 2007 The 16th World Transplant Games
Bangkok, Thailand
www.16thworldtransplantgame.com

March 26-31, 2008 Winter World Transplant Games
Rovaniemi, Finland
http://www.rovaniemi2008.com