2018 Special Olympics USA Games

The Special Olympics 2018 Special Olympics USA Games will take place July 1-6, around the University of Washington and the Seattle, Washington community. There are nearly 3,500 athletes and 1,000 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and delegates from all over the world expected to attend and compete in the 2018 USA Games. About 50,000 family, friends, and spectators are anticipated to attend.

Meet Team Louisiana

Team Louisiana will be a delegation of 129 ( 70 athletes, 27 unified partners, 32 coaches and official delegates) representing Special Olympics Louisiana. Our delegation will compete in the following sports: Athletics (Track & Field), Aquatics (Swimming),  Bocce,  Bowling,  Golf, Powerlifting, Tennis, Unified Basketball, Unified Softball, and Unified Flag Football. Meet the candidates for Team Louisiana’s Delegation.

Donate now to help us send them to Seattle!

USA Games

The Special Olympics 2018 Special Olympics USA Games will take place July 1-6, around the University of Washington and the Seattle, Washington community. There are nearly 3,500 athletes and 1,000 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and delegates from all over the world expected to attend and compete in the 2018 USA Games. About 50,000 family, friends, and spectators are anticipated to attend.

Meet Team Louisiana

Team Louisiana will be a delegation of 129 ( 70 athletes, 27 unified partners, 32 coaches and official delegates) representing Special Olympics Louisiana. Our delegation will compete in the following sports: Athletics (Track & Field), Aquatics (Swimming),  Bocce,  Bowling,  Golf, Powerlifting, Tennis, Unified Basketball, Unified Softball, and Unified Flag Football. Meet the candidates for Team Louisiana’s Delegation.

Donate now to help them reach Seattle!

State Indoor Games

WHAT: The 2018 Special Olympics Louisiana State Indoor Games.

WHEN & WHERE: March 2-3, 2018 in Baton Rouge, LA SPORTS: Bowling, Basketball, and Tennis

COMPETITION SCHEDULE: Competitions will be held on Saturday, March 3rd

Basketball from 8:00AM to 5:30PM Saturday, March 3rd

Bowling- All Star Lanes from 11:00AM to 3:00PM Saturday, March 3rd

Bowling- Circle Bowl from 12:00PM to 5:00PM

Basketball – Team Automotive Group Sportsplex

Tennis – Independence Park (Indoor & Outdoor Tennis Courts)

REGISTRATION: First Church of the Nazarene 9955 Old Hammond Hwy Baton Rouge, LA 70816

OPENING CEREMONIES: Opening Ceremonies will be held Friday, March 2nd at Team Automotive Group Sportsplex (7122 Perkins Rd Baton Rouge, LA 70808) at 7:00 PM.

HEALTHY ATHLETES: will be held at First Church of the Nazarene on Saturday, March 3rd, 2018 (9am-2pm)

VOLUNTEERS: A support staff of more than 1,000 volunteers will work at the Games. They will serve in jobs ranging from coaching, to food preparation, to officiating.

2017 State Indoor Games

The 2017 Special Olympics Louisiana State Indoor Games are coming to Baton Rouge! Nearly 500 athletes who have qualified from various local and area competitions will be able to participate in basketball, bowling, and tennis matches.  Opening Ceremonies will be held March 3rd at Team Automotive  Group Sportsplex beginning at 7:00 PM, with competitions following on March 4th and 5th.

There will be lots of entertainment over the weekend, including the arrival of the Olympic torch, the Parade of Athletes, the lighting of the Olympic Flame of Hope by Local Law Enforcement officers, and much more! We encourage all community members, family, and media to come out and support our SOLA athletes! All events, including all competitions, are free and open to the public.

For more information on registration and schedules, please visit our website.

Fall Classic Recap

The below paragraph is a guest post from SOLA Athlete, Channing Ewing, from our Northwest Area about this past weekends State Fall Classic in Lafayette, LA.

“I had a good time in Lafayette. The staff at Pelican Park did a great job. I really enjoyed their boudin balls at the concession stand. It was great to see all my friends again. I enjoyed meeting the new Director of Sports and Competition, Matt Gore.  The dance was blast as usual. I didn’t get a chance to go to Olympic Town this year, but I hope that I can next year.”

– Channing

Thank you to all of our athletes, coaches, partners, sponsors, volunteers, etc. that made State Summer Games a success! We couldn’t have done it without you!

 

Pictured above are SOLA Athletes Robert Eagle (left) and Channing Ewing (right).

 

Happy Friday!

“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Happy Friday!

19 May 2012: Special Olympics, Hammond, LA.

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”

— Michael Jordan

Volunteer for State Fall Classic

 

Volunteers are needed for the 2016 State Fall Classic!
Athletes will be competing in aquatics, horseshoes, and softball at Pelican Park and the Robicheaux Center in Carencro, LA on October 12-16. 

REGISTER NOW!

Highlights From Cam’s Trip To The Pro-Am

SOLA Athlete, Camrin Sandoz, was once again invited to attend the Perfect Sense Digital Pro-Am held during the Quicken Loan National PGA Tournament on June 26-30, 2016.  The group of attendees included Special Olympics athletes from the United States and Canada along with golfers from The First-Tee and Feherty’s Troops First.  Everyone gathered on Sunday for a welcome barbecue, which included outdoor games and activities, at Creighton Farms, and everyone got to know each other and learn the golf pairings for the week.  On Monday, the group played in the Pro-Am at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, alongside a PGA professional. The golf course and clubhouse surroundings were something to admire because the course holds so much history in the Washington D.C. area.  On Tuesday, the group attended Perfect Sense Headquarters and then spent the rest of the day touring Washington D.C.  Wednesday was back to the course where the Perfect Sense Unified Challenge, which took place at Creighton Farms in Aldie, Virginia. Everyone was paired in groups of four, which included Special Olympics athletes, First-Tee and Feherty Troops First players.  They wrapped up the trip with a visit out to Top Golf, where everyone got to show off their golfing skills while sharing stories from the week.

The highlight for Cam was running into his PGA partner from last year, Arjun Atwal, on the driving range. He greeted Arjun with a huge hug, and then he learned the gold medal he presented to Arjun last year was now framed in his home next to his other golfing awards. It is quite the honor to know a Special Olympics Louisiana Gold Medal hangs in a PGA Professional’s Trophy Room! 

 Cam would love to thank Special Olympics Louisiana and Perfect Sense Digital for making his trip possible!

 

Camp Shriver: Baton Rouge

Camp Shriver Baton Rouge begins today, June 6, 2016, and will continue through Friday, June 10, 2016.  Athletes and partners from the Capital Area and Florida Parishes Area come together for a week of fun activities. Athletes of all skill levels are attending. Camp Shriver brings together people with and without intellectual disabilities for training and competition.  Athletes learn new sports skills, improve individual sport performance, participate in individual and team sports, build friendships and have fun with camp volunteers.