Articles from December 2016

On Thursday, May 5 Special Olympics Iowa hosted the annual Drake Unified Sports Day at Drake University. Events were held in the Knapp Center as well as on the practice fields outside.

Special Olympics Unified Sports promotes social inclusion through shared sport training and competition experiences for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. More than 600 special education and regular education students from schools across Central Iowa paired up for the day for some friendly competition in activities like 3-on-3 basketball, bocce, golf, pass-punt-kick football, relay races, volleyball and more.

There were more than 125 volunteers, including representatives from Clipped Wings, Laborer’s Local #177 Retirees and Wells Fargo. Drake University football players were also on hand to help with events and sign autographs.

Check out photos from the event below!

 

Special Olympics Iowa will host the 22^nd annual Drake Unified Sports Day Thurs., May 5 at Drake University from 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition, Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team.

More than 600 special education and regular education students from 18 schools across Central Iowa will pair up for a day of friendly competition. Partners will participate in 3-on-3 basketball, bocce, golf, pass-punt-kick football, relay races, volleyball and more.

More than 125 volunteers, including representatives from Clipped Wings, Laborer’s Local #177 Retirees, Wells Fargo and Drake University football players, will help coordinate the events.

Special Olympics Unified Sports promotes social inclusion through shared sport training and competition experiences for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. Unified Sports has proven to be highly effective in achieving social inclusion. Athletes feel a sense of belonging; they can meaningfully interact with others, develop mutually rewarding relationships, are recognized as contributors and are received with acceptance and respect.

 

EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: Special Olympics Iowa Unified Sports Day at Drake University
Sponsored by Principal Financial Group, Variety Club – the Children’s Charity and Special Olympics Project UNIFY
WHO: Special Olympics Iowa athletes and Unified Sports partners
WHEN: May 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
WHERE: Drake University Knapp Center, Bell Center and practice fields

Special Olympics Iowa (SOIA) hosted two Young Athlete Play Activity Day sessions sponsored by Sammons Financial Group on April 21. The event was held at Ankeny Centennial High School with one session running in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The Youth Athlete Play Activity Day is a program designed to provide play activities and socialization opportunities for children with intellectual disabilities between the ages of two and seven. The program is for children that are too young to participate in traditional SOIA competitions as the minimum entry age for traditional competition is eight years old. Area schools participated in the Ankeny Play Day, as well as a few schools that were from outside the area, making it the biggest Play Day event in its history. …

The USTA is sponsoring a tennis competition on August 27, 2016 at the North Scott High School tennis courts in Eldridge for Special Olympics athletes, ages 8 and up. There will be singles matches played with a ranking of 2.0 and higher. …

“March to Summer Games” is underway and will be continuing through May 15. Eleven delegations have joined the program with a total of 110 Special Olympics athletes and Unified Partners participating.  Four Special Olympics athletes have walked over 100 miles in the past 6 weeks. “March to Summer Games“ is a Unified Walking Club, which has the goal of developing healthy daily exercise habits. Special Olympics athletes and Unified Partners work together to compete for awards and to gain new friendships. …

On March 1st, Special Olympic Athletes and staff spent the day at the Iowa State Capitol spreading the word to end the “R” word. Spread the Word to End the Word is a national campaign to help make a stand against a word that has gained popularity in culture, but is offensive to many.

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More than 1,000 Special Olympics Iowa athletes and Unified Sports partners from across Iowa are set to compete in the annual Mid-Winter Tournament to be held March 11-12 in Iowa City. The event is made possible with the help of more than 350 volunteers from across the state.

Powerlifting, team basketball (3-on-3 and 5-on-5) and gymnastics competitions will be held at the University of Iowa Field House, while Iowa City West High School will host cheerleading, dance and basketball skills. Competition begins at 9 a.m. March 12. A Healthy Athletes session will be held from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Iowa City West High School.

The Opening Ceremony will take place March 11 at 6 p.m. along with a banquet and dance at the Coralville Marriott Exhibit Hall.

Tentative Schedule of Events

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Special Olympics Iowa will be hosting Spread the Word to End the Word Day March 1 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Iowa State Capitol first floor rotunda. Spread the Word to End the Word is a national campaign to help make a stand against a word that has gained popularity in culture, but is offensive to many. The “R-word” has found a place in common language and seems to be accepted by most., despite the fact that its use, casual or otherwise, is hurtful to millions of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and those that love them.

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Courtesy of big12sports.com

The Big 12 Conference has announced the 2015-16 Special Olympics Athletes of the Year. This year’s winners are Kim Lively of Ames, Iowa, and Cody Pierce of Pittsburg , Kan.

Each season, the Big 12, in conjunction with select Special Olympics affiliate offices, identifies a male and female athlete who exemplify the tenants of Special Olympics. The two recipients and members of their family are invited to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship for an on-court presentation during the title game.

Kim Lively has been a self-proclaimed “Iowa State Cyclone fan” since she was a little girl. She has participated in Special Olympics events for over 20 years, specializing in softball and golf. Lively has won numerous medals in both, as well as track, bowling and bocce ball. She won three gold medals while competing for the first time in the state of Iowa Special Olympics Games. …

Granite City will be donating a portion of its sales to Special Olympics Iowa on Feb. 17!

Visit one of the three Granite City locations in Iowa – Cedar Rapids, Clive or Davenport– on Feb. 17, show your server our flyer and 20% of your total tab will be donated to Special Olympics Iowa!

Can’t stay for a meal? To go orders are included, too!