Special Olympics celebrates sportsmanship, health

SEARCY — About 2,000 athletes will compete for medals when Special Olympics Arkansas visits Harding University in Searcy, today through Saturday.

The Special Olympics Arkansas Summer Games will kick off at 7:30 p.m. with an opening ceremony at the university’s stadium.

“Special Olympics Arkansas is a program that focuses on offering sports, health and other opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities,” said Camie Powell, director of marketing and corporate relations for Special Olympics Arkansas. “We work on unleashing the human spirit through the joy of pure sports.”

Throughout the year, more than 15,000 athletes compete in Special Olympics Arkansas’ 240 competitions, which cover 20 sports. For the Summer Games, athletes will compete in aquatics, bocci, football, golf, power lifting, softball, and track and field.

“We have athletes from all over the state. We are broken down into 17 areas [across the state] that are competing year-round,” Powell said. “Based on performance at local area games, they qualify for state-level competition.”

Athletes must be at least 8 years old to compete in Special Olympics Arkansas, and the competition has had athletes who are as old as 75. There will be a Young Athletes event at 10:30 a.m. Saturday for children 2 to 7 years old to introduce them to what the competition is like.

“Our athletes train year-round; some of them might do multiple sports,” Powell said. “We strive and push our athletes to at least get strong and focus on training six to eight weeks prior to our event.”

Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to athletes, and those who achieve fourth through eighth place will receive a ribbon.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Special Olympics Arkansas will present Healthy Athletes, during which health care professionals will provide health screenings for athletes. Healthy Athletes, which will be held at Harding Academy, a private school affiliated with the university, will cover hearing, sight, fitness, speech and dentistry screenings and more.

Powell said the Special Olympics Arkansas community can be underserved by health care workers and that Healthy Athletes also gives those in health care an opportunity to learn more about various types of patients. There are more than 200 health care volunteers who screen about 1,100 athletes per year, she said.

“Health care professionals come into our volunteer environment and take away something they might not have known about our athletes,” Powell said.

The Family Support Expo is also scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at Harding Academy.

“That is going to be vendors from all over the state that offer a service for people with intellectual disabilities,” she said. “Families can come and learn something they might not have known prior.”

There is no entry fee to view the Summer Games, and volunteers are needed to take on roles that could include managing a timer for the aquatic games or being a track-and-field escort.

“They can come out to volunteer; they don’t have to let us know ahead of time,” Powell said. “Or they can be a fan in the stands, which is what we call spectators who come out and cheer on the athletes.”

Powell, who volunteered with Special Olympics Arkansas for 18 years before she joined the staff, said that once someone becomes a Special Olympics volunteer, he or she is hooked for life.

Powell also said events like the Summer Games are unique for athletes because they provide a yearly bonding experience.

“This might be the three days they come together with athletes they’ve competed with for years,” she said.

Powell encourages the public to come out to the event and be involved in some way, whether as a volunteer or a supporter.

“I think it’s important that they come out and witness pure ability and witness that our athletes are athletes and are great at what they do,” she said.

For a full schedule and more information, visit

specialolympicsarkansas.org.

Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.

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