Articles from June 2018

By Stephanie Kocer

(SOIA coach Nicole Vetter accepts her Inspiring Coach of the Year award from Brooks Running)

As Special Olympics Iowa (SOIA) athletes prepare to head to Seattle for the 2018 USA Games July 1-6 at the University of Washington campus, coach Nicole Vetter of Council Bluffs is just returning from Seattle, where she was honored by Brooks Running with the Inspiring Coach of the Year award.

Vetter has been a teacher and coach for 22 years in Council Bluffs. She started her career as a special education teacher before transitioning into teaching physical education and coaching the Thomas Jefferson High School track team. Now she feels like she gets the best of both worlds. “I love getting to know that population of students,” says Vetter. “I get to help both Special Olympic athletes and high school students, which is the best of both worlds.”

In honor of the 2018 USA Games, Brooks Running, which is headquartered in Seattle, selected two track & field coaches from across the nation and awarded them with the Inspiring Coach of the Year award. The winner receives a trophy, a $10,000 grant for Brooks performance running gear, and $2,500 to their team’s athletic department for team expenses. …

Special Olympics Iowa recognized individuals who embraced the Unified model during the 2017-2018 school year at a Unified banquet held in May. As part of our school based program Unified Champion Schools, Hayley Goldsberry of the Iowa Connections Academy and Tyler Hungate of Linn-Marr High School were both selected as scholarships recipients for the work they have done to help develop a more Unified environment  in their schools and community. 

Special Olympics Iowa also recognized the Des Moines Public Schools for adopting the Unified Champion Schools model with a district-wide approach.

Celebrating 50 Years of Unity and Empowerment

On July 1-6, 2018 – more than 4,000 Special Olympics athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will gather in Seattle to compete before tens of thousands of spectators and volunteers. The 2018 USA Games will showcase the limitless talents of people with intellectual disabilities while promoting the barrier-breaking power of sport to promote inclusion and acceptance. 

Among those 4,000 athletes and coaches will be Team Iowa.

The USA Games kick off with the spectacle of the Opening Ceremony at Husky Stadium on July 1, 2018 and will offer 14 Olympic-type sports: athletics (track and field), basketball, bocce, bowling, flag football, golf, gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, softball, stand up paddle boarding, swimming, tennis and volleyball.

Competitions will be held at venues across the Seattle area including the University of Washington, Celebration Park, Kenmore Lanes, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle University, Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center and Willows Run Golf Club.

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