Special Olympics USA Games kicked off last Sunday with the Opening Ceremony at Exploria Stadium in Orlando that featured the parade of athletes, lighting of the torch along with many celebrity ambassadors like Tim Tebow and performances by Sara Bareilles all live on ESPN.
Competitions began on June 6 and will run through June 12. The athletes compete in 19 different events – Athletics, Basketball, Bocce, Bowling, Cheerleading, Equestrian, Flag Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Open Water Swim, Powerlifting, Soccer, Softball, Stand Up Paddleboard, Surfing, Swimming, Tennis, Triathlon and Volleyball.
The USA Games unite more than 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the Caribbean.
Marshall County’s eight-member Flag Football team and two coaches made the trip to Orlando. The team competed on the outdoor fields at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports that the professional NFL players play on every year during the Pro Bowl.
In the first competition of the Games, the Marshall County team lost a close game to the team from Maryland 26-24 and played the District of Columbia on Tuesday and lost 56-7. According to Coach Jonny Byrd, the team had a much better second half in that game. Wednesday, they played the team from Texas and won 35-12 which put them in the Medal Bracket.
Thursday, they lost to Illinois 25-13 after leading 13-12 at halftime which put them in the Bronze Medal game on Friday against Pennsylvania where they lost 31-12 to earn a fourth place finish.
A welcome home party is planned on their arrival back to the high school at approximately 3:00 pm Sunday.
A well-earned congratulations to these athletes and coaches!
