News
Special Olympics comes to Bottineau
Scott Wagar
01/27/2015
Around 80 athletes participated in the Special Olympics North Dakota State Winter Games (SOND) at the Bottineau Winter Park this weekend that was filled with fun for all the competitors.
It has been four years since SOND has held the state winter games in Bottineau, but with the construction of Annie’s House SOND wanted to return to Bottineau and bring a new format to the winter games.
“We wanted to build on the winter sports with snow and ice in North Dakota and in Special Olympics,” said Kathy Meagher president of Special Olympics North Dakota. “Knowing that, the winter game’s events offered are snowshoeing, cross country skiing and alpine skiing.
“Until this year, we did not focus on the recruitment aspect, and now with Annie’s House specialized in programs for people with disabilities we went out to the local programs to get them interested,” Meagher added. “We have 10 delegations from nine communities and we are pleased with a current restart of the winter sports. As an example, last year we had 18 snowshoers compete at the state event in Valley City and this year we have 44 participating in the event, which is more than 100 percent from last year.”
The nine representing communities included Bottineau, Bismarck, Cass County, Grand Forks, Harvey, Jamestown, Mandan, Minot and Valley City.
In the three events, Meagher stated the athletes had a number of events to compete in.
“In snowshoeing, the ranges are from the 100 meters to 1500 meters; in cross country the events range from 100 meters to the 5K; and in alpine the events are slalom and giant slalom,” she said.
The winter games kicked-off on Friday afternoon with time trials for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. On Friday evening, the opening ceremony was held with a Parade of Athletes, Olympic Torch Ceremony and Special Olympic Oath.
National and World Olympian, Tommy Mikkelson, was named as the torchbearer for the ceremony and opened the winter games by skiing down a slope with the Flame of Hope Torch.
Mikkelson won a Gold and Bronze medal in skiing while competing in the Special Olympics in South Korea in 2013.
On Saturday, the day began with the cross country and snowshoeing competition followed by the time trials and competitions for the alpine skiers.
In the afternoon, the award presentation was held and the closing ceremony.
Meagher stated that with the Special Olympics Winter Games back in Bottineau, she feels it is the start of something bigger and better for Special Olympics North Dakota.
“We’re pretty excited about the return to Bottineau and Annie’s House. We are convinced if we can get the people up to Bottineau and to Annie’s House that the word and excitement will spread so much that the State Winter Games will see significant athlete growth,” Meagher said.
“This certainly is our driving force, to provide more opportunities to children and adults with intellectual disabilities. And, living in North Dakota, it is generally inevitable that we will live in cold and snow and recognizing that there can be not only pleasure and enjoyment utilizing these conditions, but also recreation, fitness and fun,” she continued.
“Although it has been three years since we have been in Bottineau, we are grateful for the support several individuals and businesses that are assisting in making this a reality,” Meagher said.
“The encouragement and warmth of hospitality of those that had been involved in key volunteer leadership roles in the past is so wonderful. It is our hopes that this is just the beginning of something that will grow so large that we fill every hotel/motel in the community and surrounding area. This is Special Olympics North Dakota’s goal.”