Team Kentucky Hope Practice Makes Golden on Day Before Competition Starts
Just because competition didn’t crank up on the morning after the Opening Ceremonies doesn’t mean athletes got to sleep in after a long night at Huntington Bank Stadium, or that Sunday was a day of rest at the Special Olympics USA Games. Sunday was practice day at the Games as every one of Team Kentucky’s sports delegations got familiar with their event venues and put in some final work before going for the gold starting Monday.
Golf and bowling were the first two out with early tee times and lane assignments at Victory Links Golf Course at the National Sports Center and Lucky Strike Blaine, respectively. Bocce held both practice and divisioning in the morning at the Larson Performance Center – Minnesota’s indoor football practice facility. Gymnastics also got into action early with podium training at the Mariucci Center on the University of Minnesota campus. Swimming and track wrapped up before lunch at the University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium and the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. Unified basketball and flag football were the latest to wrap up practice. Basketball was on campus at the UM Student Rec Center and flag football was north of the city at the National Sports Center.
Our Youth Leadership Experience team om Olivia Pruitt and Unified partner Maya Hetler also helped prepare for the Games, spending their day at the National Sports Center helping to set up for the Young Athletes Festival which will be held there.
When they weren’t practicing, our teams were out having great experiences on campus. Both our track and field team and our bowling team picked up free New Balance shoes, which they earned for completing at least five Healthy Athletes initiatives either at the USA Games or at our State Summer Games. Prior to their practice, our swimmers got to meet swimming legend, Olympic Gold Medalist and swimming announcer Rowdy Gaines, who will call the USA Games swimming competition for ESPN+.
But today was just an appetizer for the rest of the week’s main course, which will be four incredible days of competition.
Tomorrow at the USA Games
Competition gets underway on Monday morning and right away our gymnasts will be going for gold. Racheal Conner will have the opportunity to claim one of the first medals of the Games when she competes in the Level 2 gymnastics all-around starting at 9 am. She will be trying to defend the all-around title she won in 2022 in Orlando. Lee Dockins will be attempting to win a third straight USA Games all-around title after wins in Seattle in 2018 and Orlando in 2022. Aliya White will be looking to upgrade her all-around silver medal from Orlando.
Preliminary competition will also get underway at 9 am for our Unified basketball, flag football and track and field teams at 9 tomorrow morning. Basketball will face off with Texas while flag football takes on Virginia. Damion Frost will be competing in the running long jump prelim. Football will play again later in the day against Pennsylvania.
Swimming will send three into the water starting around 9:30. Maddie Brinkman and Carson Chaney will swim the 100-yard freestyle prelim. Shortly after Justin Hale will open his third USA Games with the 50-yard butterfly prelim. Later in the day Carmen Widener will join the other three when they swim the 4×50-yard medley relay.
Bowling will hold its divisioning round on Monday with all four bowlers rolling to see who they will compete against in Tuesday’s singles event.
While all that takes place, golfers Wake Mullins and Chris Revay and the Unified pair of Troy Pickens and James Cheely will be playing their first round in their respective golf competitions.
Bocce has Monday off.
For more information about Team Kentucky or the Special Olympics USA Games, contact Mark Buerger at mbuerger@soky.org or at 502-695-8222.