Recent Snapshots from Westerville Special Olympics

Basketball is one of the top sports at Special Olympics. Players take it up at all ages and at all abilities, from young players learning to handle the ball and keep it under control while dribbling to older, more experienced players who have the moves and know the strategies to play challenging ball. For our younger athletes, we offer children ages 2 1/2 to 7 enjoy games and activities that develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Young Athletes is an early introduction to sports and to the world of Special Olympics. The children learn new things, play and have lots of fun!

Bocce is an Italian game. The basic principle of the sport is to roll a bocce ball closest to the target ball, which is called a palina. Bocce as a Special Olympics s provides people with special needs th opportunity to have social contact, develop physically and to gain self-confidence.

Bowling s a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objectvie of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible. Although Bowling does not belong to the Olympic sports, it is among the most popular sports in Special Olympics. It is a particularly beneficial sport to people with intellectual disabilities, irrespective of their age or sports abilities, since it ensures physical exercise and at the same time

participation and social integration. Plus, it's great fun!

August-October

Head Coach: Sean

(Athletes age 4-7)

Alice Wilson

Westervillespecialolympics@gmail.com

Cheerleading is one of our newer categories. Athletes work together as a group on routines and cheer on our basketball and football teams.

August-March

Equestrian is one of the most fascinating sports. The balance, the stability and the right communication between the horse and the rider is a key element for success in Equestrian sport.

February-April

Flag football is an exciting, new sport that will be offered to Special Olympics. Flag football will cater to athletes of all abilities and teach skill development in a number of areas including: passing, route running, defensive strategy, and more.

September-October

Head Coach: Coach Spencer

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players (or golfers) use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes. The game is played on golf courses, each of which features a unique design, although  courses typically consist of either nine 18 holes

July - August

Gymnastics combines strength, flexibility, and artistry. Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines (ranging from approximately 30 to 90 seconds) on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting.
April-June

Soccer is one of our most popular sports. It is appropriate for a wide range of age and ability levels because it is easy to learn.

Athletes who participate in soccer are able to improve their overall physical fitness through training and competition, and athletes firsthand the benefits of playing as a ted which promotes communication, camaraderie and friendship.

March-June, August-October 

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 players. Every team aims in scoring as many runs possible by striking the ball with a specific bat. It is a direct descendant of baseball, although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand. The game is played on a smaller diamond than in baseball and despite the game's name, the standard softball is not soft; in fact, it is harder than a baseball. We also offer individual skills competition to allow athletes to train and compete in basic softball skills. The development of these key skills is necessary prior to advancing to team competition.

July-September

Head Coach: Sean Moore

Swimming (aquatics) is one of our most popular sports. Unlike other sports, swimming is a life skill that is taught, first, to ensure safety and, secondly, for sports and competition purposes.Swimming is appropriate for a range of ages and ability because of the wide array of swimming events offered. Swimming competition events are based on a variety of strokes.

We also offer events for lower ability level athletes to train and compete in basic swimming skills. The development of these key skills is necessary prior to advancing to longer, competitive events.

September-December

Tennis is a popular sport for players of all ages and skill levels. Every athlete aims in passing the ball to the opponent's side of the net, striking it with a tennis racquet. The sport emphasizes values, such as fair play, sportsmanship and respect for fellow competitors. Tennis is not only fun to play, but it is a lifetime sport activity that is fun to practice and tun to learn.

In addition to traditional singles and doubles events, we offer individual skills competition, allowing athletes to train and compete in basic tennis skills. The development of these key skills is necessary prior to advancing to match play.

February-June

(Athletes age 4-7)

Alice Wilson

Westervillespecialolympics@gmail.com

Track and field (athletics) events encourage athletes of all abilities and ages to compete at their optimum level. Through our track-and-field-based training program, participants can develop total fitness to compete in any sport. As with all sports, track & field offers athletes the opportunity to learn through skill development and competitive settings, and to be involved in large social groups.

Events range from the 100-meter to the 400-meter events, from the high jump to the long jump, shot put, relays and wheelchair events.

We also offer events for lower ability level athletes to train and compete in basic athletics skills. The development of these key skills is necessary prior to advancing to longer competitive events.

April-June

(Athletes age 4-7)

Alice Wilson

Westervillespecialolympics@gmail.com

The game of volleyball is attractive to all types of players, from competitive to recreational, young and old. The aim of the sport is to score more points by hitting the ball with the hands and sending it over the net to the opponent's court.

February-June

Head Coach: Sean