Fall Tournament

By: Leo Moran

We had a great time last weekend at the Special Olympics North Carolina Fall Tournament! Around 900 athletes were present to take part in the festivities. I had the privilage of helping with soccer.  Over a dozen Special Olympics local programs were present and all of the athletes were ready to compete!

The action started around 9 am and went until late afternoon. In soccer there were two types of competition, individual skills and team games. All of the athletes played their hearts out until until the last whistle blew. Presenting awards was the lovely Miss TEEN United States 2011, Devin Gant, which inspired the athletes to play as hard as they could. At the end of the day, all of the athletes were winners and everyone had a great time!

After the games, there was the legendary Special Olympics dance that’s always a highlight of the weekend of competition. Athletes, coaches and volunteers all enjoyed a great dinner and then danced the night away. I didn’t think it was possible to be even more tired than we already were, but I was wrong!  The entire weekend was a great experience filled with fun and great competition.  I can’t wait until next year!

Working for Inclusion

By: Safiatou Soumana

Led by its Youth Activation Council, Special Olympics NC held an amazing Youth Summit on Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24 in Morrisville, NC. The momentous event was attended by over a hundred students from all over North Carolina, representing a multitude of counties and schools. While in Morrisville, students set out to discuss how they could promote inclusion in their schools and communities. The event had several sessions including the introduction of the Special Olympics mission and a concise but thorough lesson on exactly how they could encourage their peers, and therefore school communities, to be more inclusive. There was also a discussion on how they could influence peers and elders to stop casually using the derogatory “r-word” and how to start inclusive sport programs at their schools. The event had many entertaining aspects: allowing the teens to roller skate, befriend  and play sports with students with intellectual disabilities, and view the comedic movie, ‘The Ringer.”

As a SONC YAC member, it was amazing to see the fruit of so many collective hours of labor.  Advisors and council members alike appreciated the attentiveness and passion we found in North Carolina’s students. It was really beautiful to see so many kids my age get excited and emotional about creating a better world for people with intellectual disabilities. The event really reinforced my desire to make a difference and renewed my faith that change can really happen. I was honored to have the opportunity to teach, learn from and welcome the new members of our Special Olympics North Carolina family. 

View more photos from the 2nd annual SONC Project UNIFY Youth Summit

 Youth Activation Council Directory