Smiles, sweat and celebration are set to be in abundant supply following Thursday night’s lighting of the torch ceremony and the beginning of competition for the Special Olympics of Wyoming (SOWY) summer games.
The lighting of the torch, performed by local law enforcement, kicked off competition for around 700 athletes in aquatics, athletics, powerlifting and basketball. The SOWY summer games bring competitors from five local competitions together in a statewide competition encouraging physical fitness, expression of courage, and the expression of joy and participation among special athletes.
“The mission of Special Olympics of Wyoming is to provide year-round sport competition and training to those with intellectual disabilities,” said Dan Lang, director of field services for SOWY. “The biggest thing that Special Olympics is pushing is inclusion, you know — not treating people with intellectual disabilities any different.”
Events will be held at venues across Laramie, including the Rochelle Athletic Center, Laramie High School, Old Deti Stadium and the UniWyo sports complex. All competitions are open to the public and attendance is highly encouraged by SOWY staff.
“We love to have fans come cheer on our athletes and competitors,” said Lang. “We try to promote it as much as we can throughout the community.… The more people the merrier. Everyone likes to compete in front of a crowd.”
Public participation in the SOWY summer games is not limited to watching competitions. Lang said that anyone who wants to offer their time as a volunteer is more than welcome to do so and that walk-in volunteers will be able to assist in whatever way they are best able. Lang stressed that volunteers are vital to providing a great lifelong experience to athletes.
“It’s like any sport; you make lifelong friends, you get new experiences, you know. It really is something more than I think meets the eye with most people,” said Lang.
Aquatics competitions are scheduled to take place on Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Laramie High School. Events will include the 100-yard backstroke and breaststroke, butterfly swims, individual medleys and more.
Athletics events will take place at Old Deti Stadium on Friday from 12:30 to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include events such as the long jump, 50 meter dash, shotput and 1,500 meter run. Powerlifting events took place Thursday at the Rochelle Athletic Center.
Basketball competitions began Thursday afternoon and will continue through Friday morning. Events will be held at the Arena Auditorium, the Fieldhouse and the UniWyo Sports Complex. Team games of 5-on-5 and 3-on-3 will take place, both traditional and unified, the latter of which features special athletes competing alongside their peers.
“The athletes are training year-round,” said Lang. “It’s a pretty big thing. It’s more than just a show up and compete kind of thing. These guys train hard and we like to make sure they get a good competition.”
SOWY relies on fundraising and volunteer work to offer experiences like these summer games to athletes with intellectual disabilities. The most significant among them is the Law Enforcement Torch Run, in which local law enforcement lights the olympic torch to begin competition. The Torch Run is the largest worldwide fundraiser for Special Olympics, and runs take place across the state through the year.
“That’s one of the best moments, when the flame comes in and the torch gets lit, it’s one of those moments when you get chills,” said Lang.
