News

Special Olympics Iowa is excited to announce the Dubuque Challenge Day will return this year to Loras College in Dubuque. The Challenge Day will take place at the college’s Activity and Wellness Center on Friday, October 20, 2017. The day will kick-off with an opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m., with sports activities starting at 10:00 a.m. 

Challenge Days are a one-day event designed specifically for the severe and profound population of Iowa as well as our aging population. Because of the need to offer more activities for these individuals, it has been a goal of Special Olympics Iowa to give these athletes opportunities to compete in activities that mirror the 23 Olympic-style sports SOIA offers.  …

On Friday, November 10, Johnston-Grimes Metropolitan Fire Department Association and Johnston Professional Firefighters Local 4835 will host the annaul Firefighters’ Ball at Stoney Creek Inn in Johnston. Special Olympics Iowa is one of three charities chosen to receive proceeds from the event.

The charitable evening will feature hors d’oeuvres, special guests, a cash bar, dancing, silent auction, raffles and a photo booth.

The event cost is $40 per person or $70 per couple. Tickets are limited to 300 guests and are available to the public until Friday, October 20.

To purchase tickets please contact Ginger at jgmfdfirefightersball@gmail.com or 515-276-5182.

Event Poster

The Global Messenger Workshop will be December 1-2, 2017 at the state office in Grimes.

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When Hurricane Harvey hit last month Alicia Porter knew she couldn’t sit on the sidelines and watch. The Special Olympics Iowa coach had an important connection to Houston; her assistant coach, Barb Hottman is originally from the city.

Hottman, a former special education teacher from Houston has a daughter living in Houston and she immediately wanted to go and see firsthand how her and all of her friends were really doing.

“Through phone calls we began to realize that these people were living on cans of soup and even K-rations. We knew that she [Hottman] could not go empty-handed,” Porter said. Team Porter began reaching out to close friends and relatives, asking for donations of food and paper supplies.  With an outpouring of support, a thousand dollars worth of food and supplies were donated and sent with Hottman to bring to Houston. …

Starting October 1, 2017 Special Olympics will require all athletes joining Special Olympics Iowa to complete newly updated Release and Medical Forms.

These new forms will take the place of the Physical and Consent Forms that SOIA required athletes to fill out in the past. Any athlete with a current Physical and Consent Form on file will NOT need to renew with the new forms until their current physical expires.

Before athletes can begin competition in SOIA, they must submit the following forms:

• Athlete Information Form (renewed every 3 years)
• Participant Release Form
• Medical Forms
  • Health History
  • Physical Exam (renewed every 3 years)
  • Referral Form (if required)

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Special Olympics Iowa would like to welcome the newest member of the state office team, Office Administrator Tricia Wheeler!

Wheeler started with SOIA in August to provide administrative support and oversee general office operations. Wheeler previously worked in health care before coming to SOIA, but she is no stranger to the organization, serving as a volunteer at past SOIA events. Originally from the Cedar Rapids area, Wheeler attended Kirkwood Community College, Cornell College, and AIB College of Business. She now lives in the Des Moines area with her daughter, who is a full-time college student.

In her free time, Wheeler works with Forte International Exchange Association, where she works with volunteer host families as they except exchange students into their home. Wheeler has even hosted exchange students in her own home before.

Wheeler is excited about her new position with SOIA and looks forward to the upcoming events in the fall. “I look forward to meeting new people and hope to be a positive addition to the already great team. I have volunteered in the past and look forward to being a cheerleader at events.”

Welcome, Tricia!

We are pleased to inform you that the 2017-2018 Coaches’ Guide is completed and available on our website. The updated guide is an easy to use, comprehensive resource for delegation managers and coaches.

The 2017-2018 Coaches’ Guide was updated in July 2017 and is good for one year. This version of the guide contains important updates on policies and forms. All changes are highlighted in blue in the guide.

See the Coaches’ Guide

For more information, contact:
Sally Briggs, Program Administrative Assistant
515-986-5520

From Special Olympics North America: 

Special Olympics values the safety of all athletes and their use of appropriate protective equipment. This memo is to advise Special Olympics Programs on new FIS standards for alpine ski helmets.

In order to improve safety, the USSA Alpine Sports Committee has confirmed that the regulations requiring the use of helmets for Giant Slalom, Super-G and Downhill that meet new FIS standards will be mandatory for all competitors in the 2016-2017 season. Special Olympics Sports recently adopted these requirements.

The new FIS helmet certification standards will be phased In during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons. (USSA “Ski Helmet Regulations” are available on the USSA web site at http://ussa.org/alpine-programs/masters/rules).

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Special Olympics Iowa is pleased to announce the 2018 Team Iowa members going to USA Games next year in Seattle! One year from now – 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. …

Special Olympics Iowa is happy to announce the newest addition to the SOIA staff. Mary Besler joined the Law Enforcement Torch Run team in July as the new LETR Event Coordinator. Besler will work closely with law enforcement volunteers to organize fundraising events for SOIA.

Originally from Iowa City, Besler attended Ellsworth Community College her first two years of school and played volleyball before transferring and graduating from the University of Northern Iowa in May 2016 with a degree in public relations. Before coming to SOIA, Besler worked for the Iowa City Downtown District doing events and marketing.

Besler is excited to get started in her new role at SOIA. “I’m excited to be working for Special Olympics because I have always admired this organization and what it does. I love planning events, so I am thrilled to be doing that for Special Olympics.”

Welcome to the team, Mary!