Update: Groveland Olympian Makes Triumphant Return Home
Update at 9:50am on September 20:
Olympian, and Groveland native, Sagen Maddalena had a busy weekend traveling around the south county and taking in numerous community events.
The homecoming was organized by the Yosemite Highway 120 Chamber of Commerce. Maddalena finished fifth in the women’s 50m rifle three positions competition this past July at the Tokyo Olympics. Click on the “view photo” icon to see pictures of the Saturday morning Humvee convoy, her speaking to local school students and her participation in a water gun competition. Her complete schedule was reported below.
Original story posted at 11am on September 16th :
Groveland, CA — Fresh off her 5th place finish in the Olympic games in Tokyo, Sagen Maddalena will be making a grand return to her hometown of Groveland.
We reported in July that Maddalena, a US Army sharpshooter, finished in the top five in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions competition. The 27-year-old grew up in Groveland and was a longtime member of the Mother Lode Gun Club.
Yosemite Highway 120 Chamber of Commerce Board member Patricia Epp reports that Maddalena will be participating in several community events over the next three days.
Kicking things off at 3:30pm this afternoon (Thursday) Maddalena will appear at the Around the Horn Brewing Company in Groveland. Epp adds, “The Hilltop Musical Kids will be performing and singing a lot of patriotic songs.” Community members are invited to stop by for the “Welcome Home” celebration and are encouraged to come decked out in red, white and blue.
Then on Friday Maddalena will be visiting Tioga High School and Tenaya Elementary School during the morning hours to speak with students. From 12:30-2pm there is another public event planned at Around the Horn, including a 1pm water gun competition where locals can challenge the sharpshooter. Later on Friday, she will be at the Yosemite Lakes RV Resort from 4-6 to share her “Olympic Story” and sign autographs. From 6:30-8pm she will be at the Rush Creek Lodge speaking near an outdoor fire pit. There will also be smores available, and a marshmallow gun shooting competition.
Saturday will feature some of the most notable events. The US Army is providing a Humvee to transport her around Groveland and Pine Mountain Lake during the 8am hour. The chamber of commerce is encouraging others to decorate their vehicles in red, white and blue and be a part of a convoy. Anyone interested should meet at Tenaya Elementary School at 7:30am sharp on Saturday. Immediately after, at 9am, she will speak to the public about “Gun Respect” at the Yosemite Adventure Supplies. Her Olympic rifle will be on display at that time.
At 11am on Saturday she will stop at the Groveland Pizza Factory to eat, sign autographs, and pose for photos. Then at 3pm she will appear at Mary Laveroni Park for a paintball target shooting competition. At 6pm she will take part in an “All American Dinner” at the Camp Tuolumne Trails. Reservations are required for that final event.
Anyone with questions about the various events and activities can contact the Yosemite Highway 120 Chamber of Commerce at 209-962-0429.
