On Tuesday May 11th, the annually held Special Olympics took place at North County High School. Many high schools from local districts were in attendance such as Arcadia Valley, Bismarck, Central, Farmington, Fredericktown, Kingston, North County, Potosi, Ste. Genevieve, Valley of Caledonia and West County. Athletes competed in several track and field events, for example sprints, throwing, and long jumping.

The event began with the traditional mascot sprinting race which was won by the Fredericktown Black Cat dressed in gym shorts. This was followed by the athletes’ throwing, sprinting, and jumping events held at the different corners of the field which were marked by colored flags. Volunteers, known as buddies, stayed with the athletes during the event to help get them where they were needed and be a friend to keep them company while waiting for the next set of events to begin. These events were held throughout the day at scheduled times, only interrupted by lunch which was provided to the athletes and volunteers by the St. Francois County Rotary Club. Another way the athletes spent their free time between events was in the Victory Village, an exclusive leisure spot complete with games and costumed characters like Spider Man and Ana from Frozen to take photos with.

Overall this event was an amazing experience for not only the athletes, but for all of the volunteers as well. When attending this event, you’re sure to see smiling friendly faces everywhere you look. If this sounds interesting to you, please consider volunteering at next year’s Special Olympics.