The mission of Special Olympics Arkansas is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic type sports for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special
Olympics athletes, and the community. Our program is supported by individual donations, private and corporate sponsorships, state appropriation, grants, and special fundraising events. Your financial support offers training, equipment and competition to our athletes FREE OF CHARGE! Area 1 Director: Vonnie Greer
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Area 1 Training Coordinator: Skip Schalk
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Area 1 serves Clay, Fulton, Greene, Lawrence, Randolph, and Sharp Counties in Arkansas. Sports Offered
Athletics
Athletics is the largest sporting event for Special Olympics in Arkansas. We have area meets in 17 areas of the state with the number of athletes competing in the area meets ranging from 300 to 1,200. The area meets are usually held during the month of April. The State Athletics Meet is held during the Summer Games with 2,000 athletes competing. Athletics includes 18 track events and six field events, as well as the Pentathlon. Aquatics
Meets are held during April and May with the State Aquatics Meet being held during the Summer Games. Aquatics are exciting to watch and we would like more and more athletes to become involved in training and competition. Basketball
Basketball is getting more popular, with new teams entering each year! District Tournaments are held during the month of February with the overnight State Basketball Tournament being held in March. Bocce
Italian Lawn Bowling, a sport offered for Masters Age Division athletes (22 & up). After the Arkansas Team represented our state so well in Minneapolis at the 1991 International Games, the sport has caught on like wildfire. Bocce is offered on the local level in April and during the State Summer Games. Bowling
Area Tournaments for Special Olympics take place during the months of December and January. The State Bowling Tournament is held at Professor Bowl in Little Rock in December. Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles, and Team Bowling is held. Floor Hockey
Team floor Hockey Competition takes place in February during the Winter Games. The sport is played on a floor ( not ice ), such as a gym floor or roller rink. It is very competitive and exciting, which is obviously the reason the number of teams at the Winter Games seems to double each year. Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a new sport to Special Olympics Arkansas but it has rocketed into a very popular sport among the athletes. Special Olympics athletes competed in the State championships- NASA ( Natural Athletes Strength Association) and will be competing year-round in regular competitions. Power-lifting is offered as one of the sports during the Summer games. Softball
Team Softball competition takes place both in the Fall during September and October (tournaments and league play) and in May during the Summer Games. Also, Unified Softball competition is constantly increasing. The Tournament is held in Cabot.
