What is Special Olympics?
"The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for 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." (www.sotx.org)
Eligibility: To participate in HPISD Special Olympics, students must be between the ages of 8-22 and have an intellectual disability and/or "functional limitations, both in general learning and in adaptive skills such as recreation, work, independent living, self-direction or self-care." “Developmental disability' is the term most often used to describe people with both limitations." (2015 SO Texas SIG)
Current sports offered in HPISD:
- Aquatics (Summer) - various races using proper strokes
- Bowling (Fall) - individual, ramp, and team bowling
- Basketball (Winter) - individual skills and team competition
- Soccer (Spring) - individual skills and team competition
- Tennis (Spring) - individual skills and individual competition
- Track & Field (Spring) - various track events for athletes to compete in walking, assisted walking, running, relays, and field events such as tennis ball throw, standing long jump, mini-javelin, and shot put.
For more information about Special Olympics Texas, please go to: www.sotx.org