Track and Field and Aquatic events of the 2010 South Central Area Iowa Special Olympics will be hosted on April 10, 2010 by Graceland University. About 250 athletes from a 12-county area will converge on Graceland's Lamoni campus to compete in this premier annual event.
Graceland's football team, led by Head Coach Cris Welch, has been volunteering with the event for the past eight years at its venue in Creston. According to Welch, Graceland extended an invitation for the use of GU's athletic facilities and following a site visit Special Olympics Iowa officials were excited with the opportunity. Welch said, "It has been a privilege for Graceland's coaches and players to volunteer for this great event each year. Now we can welcome these wonderful athletes and their families and friends to Lamoni and Graceland."
The south central area of Special Olympics Iowa includes Cass, Adair, Madison, Montgomery, Adams, Union, Clarke, Wayne, Page, Taylor, Ringgold and Decatur counties. More than 20 teams from around the region are expected to participate on April 10. A meeting for team coaches was held recently in Creston and it was announced that Graceland was chosen as the 2010 venue. More information will be forthcoming with details of the event.
Special Olympics Iowa is a statewide nonprofit organization that serves athletes in all 99 counties of the state. It builds on the principle that the value of sports training and competition can deeply enrich and inspire a person's life. Other events are scheduled at venues around the state like the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.
Graceland President John Sellars said he was extremely pleased that this "very special event" will be held at Graceland in 2010. "We look at this as a tremendous opportunity to share with those involved with Special Olympics Iowa all that Graceland and Lamoni have to offer. We hope participants will truly enjoy themselves on our campus and in our community and that spectators will join us for what promises to be a spectacular event."
Special Olympics Iowa has been serving the needs of children and adults with intellectual disabilities since 1968 by providing sports training and competition in 22 Olympic-type sports. These events provide the opportunity for participants to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and share skills and friendships with their families other Special Olympics athletes and their communities.
The Special Olympics Movement transforms communities by inspiring people to open their minds, to accept and include people with intellectual disabilities, celebrating differences among all people . . . recognizing and respecting the similarities we share. In 2008, 11,350 athletes and Unified Sports Partners participated in Special Olympics Iowa events and competitions. These programs would not have been possible without the generous support of more than 15,000 volunteers.
