Athletes Flex Their Muscles in New Event

A little bit of history was made on Derby Weekend in Louisville this year, but it didn’t have anything to do with horse racing. On Sunday, May 3, as the rest of the city was winding down 31 Special Olympics Kentucky athletes came together at the Norton Sports Health Performance & Wellness Center for the inaugural SOKY Fitness Competition. The event worked similarly to a CrossFit competition with athletes participating in several strength and fitness activities including rowing, biking, broad-jumps, shuttle runs, farmer carries, med ball throws, sled pushes, push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. Depending on the event, athletes were scored on time, distance or repetitions.

Prior to the competition, athletes were divisioned according to standard Special Olympics competition guidelines – using age, sex and previously demonstrated abilities – to facilitate equitable competition. Athletes competed both as an individual and as part of a team.

Like most Special Olympics events, the energy was high, but the positivity and encouragement were higher! It truly is heartwarming when you have an athlete who received third place and gives the first-place winner a huge hug and congratulations. This type of genuine character many of our athletes possess simply cannot be taught.

The Fitness Competition came out of our Train 4 Life program. Train 4 Life came out of a meeting with Special Olympics Tennessee as they were looking to expand the program that they had developed. It is a holistic wellness program designed specifically for people with intellectual disabilities and is centered around weekly in-person fitness training. Train 4 Life’s base programing is designed around functional movement principles including: push, pull, hinge, squat and carry. All classes are taught by certified fitness professionals who have the education and experience to make modifications as needed based on their space and athlete population.

See photos from the 2026 Fitness Competition

Our first Train 4 Life session was held in November 2024 in the same facility where we hosted the Fitness Competition. We now offer three 12-week Train for Life cycles each year with activities in five locations – Norton Sports Health Performance and Wellness Center, D1 Training in Bowling Green, S3 Strength and Fitness in Winchester, TMMKFitness at the Toyota plant in Georgetown and Anytime Fitness Linn Station in Louisville.

Train 4 Life has also expanded beyond in-person and fitness events. It sets expectations that athletes will complete one at home workout per week in addition to any of their sport practices, plus participate in virtual nutrition and mental wellness calls. Since SOKY began implementing Train 4 Life, virtual workouts have started being offered on Tuesday nights through a partnership with South College of Physical Therapy in Tennessee. Our Bowling Green Delegation saw a need to take nutrition courses in-person as not all of their athletes have proper access to internet/ technology. Through partnership with the Warren County Extension office, Bowling Green athletes are receiving the education and guidance to make healthy choices about what they put in their body. Virtual nutrition and mental wellness calls are offered Thursday evenings on a rotating weekly basis.

If you or your athlete would like to be involved in SOKY Fitness programing, we are looking to continue expansion throughout the state. Please contact Health and Wellness Director, Brennan Smith at bsmith@soky.org.