Program’s Busiest Season Heats Up in October

The fall rivals spring in the Special Olympics Kentucky calendar for sheer number of athletes competing and competition options. And the energy really cranks up in October. All of our bowling athletes will compete in Area Bowling Tournaments this month. Flag Football teams will also compete in their Regional Tournaments this month to qualify for the State Tournament in November. Equestrian athletes and gymnasts continue to practice while they wait for their opportunity to compete.

There are many opportunities to volunteer at events throughout the fall. Check our Volunteer Now page for opportunities in your area.

Bowling

Bowling continues its rapid growth in our program. Prior to having to hold our State Bowling Tournament as a virtual event for two years, the tournament was our largest individual sport event and rivaled the State Summer Games in overall size. The bowling season consists of several weeks of local practice that lead up to Area Bowling Tournaments that are held throughout the state. Bowlers must record at least 10 practice game scores to qualify to compete in their Area Bowling Tournament. Those area tournaments take on added emphasis this year as bowlers must win at least a silver medal in their area tournament division in order to qualify to compete in the State Tournament.

2022 Bowling Schedule
Oct. 8 – Area 6 Bowling Tournament; Galaxy Bowl, Richmond
Oct. 15 – Area 5 Bowling Tournament; Southern Lanes, Bowling Green
Oct. 15-16 – Area 4 Bowling Tournament; King Pin Lanes, Louisville
Oct. 21-23 – Area 8 Bowling Tournament; Southland Lanes, Lexington
Oct. 22 – Area 3&9 Bowling Tournament; Bowl Rite, Prestonsburg
Oct. 22 – Area 7 Bowling Tournament; Super Bowl Bellewood, Newport
Oct. 22-23 – Area 1 Bowling Tournament; Cardinal Lanes, Paducah
Oct. 29 – Area 2 Bowling Tournament; Diamond Lanes South, Owensboro

Equestrian

The 2022 State Equestrian Competition will be the first state-level event of the fall sports season. This year’s event will be held on Sunday, October 9, at the Shelby County Fairgrounds in Shelbyville. It’s the second year in a row that the Fairgrounds have hosted the event. Athletes from riding programs across the state will gather to show off their abilities in categories including dressage, western equitation, English equitation, working trails and showmanship.

Flag Football

Flag Football has been the fastest growing team sport offering for many years and with a regional tournament moving to western Kentucky this season we are expecting even more teams from that area. The flag football season consists of three regional tournaments that lead up to the State Flag Football Tournament that will be held on Saturday, November 12, at Tates Creek High School in Lexington.

2022 Flag Football Schedule
Oct. 2 – Louisville Regional Flag Football Tournament; St. Xavier High School, Louisville
Oct. 16 – Western Kentucky Regional Flag Football Tournament; McCracken County High School, Paducah
Oct. 30 – Northern Kentucky Regional Flag Football Tournament; Thomas More University, Crestview Hills
Nov. 12 – State Flag Football Tournament; Tates Creek High School, Lexington

Artistic Gymnastics

Kentucky’s gymnastics program has a long proud history of producing World and USA Games champions. Dreams of being the next to claim World and USA gold begin at our annual State Artistic Gymnastics Competition. The event is held in November every year at Legacy All-Sports in Lexington. The event brings together between 25 and 30 gymnasts from several adaptive programs throughout the state.

For more information about any of our fall sports opportunities, please contact Holly Vincent at [email protected] or 502-695-8222.

For volunteer opportunities, contact Kelli Firquin at [email protected] or 502-695-8222.