Welcome Home! Ohio Athletes Return From World Games

Fun, new friends, excitement, success.

Those were the words heard most often from the three Ohio athletes who were members of Team USA, when they were asked to comment about their recent journey to the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, held in October in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.

“It was fun and exciting – and interesting,” said Brigid Balogh, a 23-year-old from Lakewood who won a Silver medal in Roller Skating’s 500-meter race. “It was fun because I got to make a lot of new friends from all over the world. It was exciting because I got to compete and win a medal. It was interesting because of the differences in the food and with communicating.”    

“I had a lot of fun,” said Matt Hines, 22, from Napoleon, who won a Bronze medal in Cycling’s 15-K road race. “It was a really good experience, too. I got to learn more stuff about different cultures and things.”  Matt said that it “was exciting to go to China to compete and race … and also to meet so many new friends as well.”

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Take the Plunge!
Jump In for Fun at One of Eight Ohio Polar Bear Plunges

It may be one of the most zany and wacky things you'll do this winter, but it'll have you "Freezin' for a Reason."

Winter is Polar Bear Plunge season in Ohio and these unique events that benefit the more than 21,000 Special Olympians in Ohio continue to get bigger and keeps on swelling with support. In fact, the Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics Ohio has grown so much that the 2008 season features a "Super-Sized" Plunge event.

The Plunges offer everyone the chance to have some fun and become a "fan" of Special Olympics by doing something crazy and whacky - like jumping into cold Ohio waters in the middle of winter. But the Plunges take you to some of the best cold Ohio winter waters - all the way from chilly Cincinnati in the south to frosty Lake Erie in the north and to many spots in between.     » Read More

State Swim Meet December 15-16 at Ohio State

The State Aquatics Championships, the last event on Special Olympics Ohio’s 2007 calendar, will be held Saturday and Sunday, December 15 and 16, at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of The Ohio State University.

More than 600 Ohio Special Olympics athletes representing almost one-half of Ohio’s counties are expected to participate. Olympians will be vying for medals and ribbons in individual and team relay swimming events. Individual events are held in distances varying between 25 and 200 meters in the butterfly, freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke. Competition in individual medley events is also scheduled. Team relays are on the program in the 4X25 freestyle, 4X50 freestyle and 4x25 medley. Unified Sports, an initiative that combines Special Olympics athletes and athletes without intellectual disabilities (Partners) on sports teams for training and competition, are included in the team relay portion of competition.     » Read More

September Softball and Golf, October Bowling Highlight Fall

Football may dominate the sports scene in Ohio during the fall, but Special Olympics Ohio attracted some attention – and large numbers of athletes – during state competitions in softball and golf in September and bowling in October.

Softball competition brought more than 500 athletes to the Lucas County Recreation Center, in Toledo, for action in six divisions, including two Unified Sports divisions. Also, more than athletes participated in the Softball Individual Skills competition, which involved running, batting and throwing.     » Read More

Upcoming Special Olympics Ohio Events

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