CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Special Olympics of Boone County brings home hardware, memories

The Lebanon Reporter - 6/24/2022

Jun. 24—Last weekend, the Special Olympics of Boone County (SOBC) sent 41 athletes to the Indiana State Summer Games in Terre Haute including eight cyclists and 33 track and field athletes.

During Opening Ceremonies, SOBC athlete Ryan Hale, who was voted captain by his teammates, was recognized as the recipient of the Men's Mental Attitude Award for his participation on the Team Indiana unified softball team at the 2022 USA Games.

Also playing on the Team Indiana unified softball team were SOBC athlete Allen Flack and unified partner Shane Hitch. Unified teams are comprised of Special Olympics athletes and non-Special Olympic athletes referred to as unified partners.

The track and field athletes brought home 29 gold, 19 silver and 10 bronze medals, including numerous fourth- to eighth-place ribbons. Tom and Deb Easterday were the head coaches of the track and field athletes and Tim Noffke, Larry Breen and Kevin Meyer were assistant coaches.

"The competition was tough," Special Olympics of Boone County Coordinator Terri Noffke said. "It was a fun, successful, and exhausting weekend."

The oldest athlete SOBC sent to the Summer Games was 69-year-old Pam Everhart, and the youngest was 9-year-old Aaron Clevenger who competed in his first-ever competition.

SOBC cyclists brought home 10 gold, eight silver and five bronze medals.

"Most cyclists competed in three events ranging from a 500m timed race to a 5K road race," Noffke said. "Some athletes rode modified cycles including three-wheel cycles, and others rode traditional bicycles."

Cyclists competing were Jackson Bullington, Leah Bruemmer, Alex Gillihan, Jason Hosking, Kathleen Maxwell, Nelson Maxwell, Russell Miller, and Greg Root. Steve Bullington and Beth Bruemmer coached the cyclists who have been training since April.

"In addition to competition, athletes enjoyed Opening Ceremonies, a victory dance, Olympic Town with activities, a pizza party and making new friends," Noffke said. "Many athletes took advantage of the healthy athlete screenings and will be receiving free eye glasses or sports glasses. Some athletes also received free shoes from Finish Line, a major sponsor of Special Olympics."

Information about SOBC, its athletes, its mission and upcoming events may be found online at specialolympicsboonecounty.org.

___

(c)2022 The Lebanon Reporter (Lebanon, Ind.)

Visit The Lebanon Reporter (Lebanon, Ind.) at www.reporter.net

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.