The 2019 Fall Sports Season got one of its earliest starts in program history this year when the State Equestrian Competition was held August 18 at Lakeside Arena in Frankfort. Now the season moves into high gear with bowlers and flag football teams preparing for area and regional competition in October. Fall sports provide a wide range of opportunities for athletes and volunteers alike and include our smallest and largest sports offerings of the year.

Bowling

Bowling is by far the most popular Special Olympics Kentucky fall sports offering. More than 1,500 athletes and Unified partners take part in our bowling season each year statewide. Bowlers practice throughout August and September with Area Bowling Tournaments held throughout the state in October and early November. Athletes submit an eight-game average to compete in their local Area Tournament. Every bowler must compete in an Area Tournament to be eligible to bowl at the State Tournament, which will be held Dec. 6-8 in Louisville.

For more information about the Special Olympics Kentucky bowling program, contact Nick McKenzie at 502-695-8222 or [email protected].

2019 Bowling Schedule
Area 1 – October 19-20, Paducah
Area 2 – October 26, Owensboro
Area 3 & 9 – October 12, Prestonsburg
Area 4 – October 26-27, Louisville
Area 5 – October 19, Bowling Green
Area 6 – October 19, Richmond
Area 7 – November 2, Erlanger
Area 8 – October 11 & 13, Lexington

Flag Football

Flag Football remains one of the fastest growing sports offerings on the Special Olympics Kentucky calendar. Last year nearly 350 athletes competed on 31 teams from across the state. The regional tournament season is just underway and two more regionals remain in October. Every team has to compete in at least one regional tournament to qualify for the State Tournament, which will be held November 9 at Tates Creek High School in Lexington.

For more information about the Special Olympics Kentucky flag football program, contact Hunter Brislin at 502-695-8222 or [email protected].

2019 Flag Football Schedule
October 6 – Northern Kentucky Regional; Thomas More College
October 13 – Louisville Regional; St. Xavier High School
October 20 – Danville Regional; Centre College
November 9 – State Tournament; Tates Creek High School, Lexington

Artistic Gymnastics

This year’s State Artistic Gymnastics Competition is scheduled for Sunday, November 17 at Legacy Gymnastics in Lexington. Gymnasts compete at one of four levels from beginner to expert in all the traditional gymnastics apparatus – floor exercise, vault, balance beam and uneven bars for women and floor exercise, high bar, rings, pommel horse, parallel bars and vault for men. Kentucky has long been a leader in Special Olympics gymnastics and our athletes have been incredibly successful at World and USA Games events. Kentucky gymnasts were profiled on ESPN during the 2018 USA Games and gymnast Lee Dockins of Russellville is featured in a Special Olympics exhibit currently on display at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History.

Athletes train with local coaches to prepare for the State Competition.

For more information about the Special Olympics Kentucky gymnastics program or for information about local gyms and coaches, contact Nick McKenzie at 502-695-8222 or [email protected].

Equestrian

The State Equestrian Competition officially opened the 2019 fall sports season when it moved both to August from its usual September date and from Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park to Lakeside Arena in Frankfort. The event included athletes from therapeutic riding organizations from across Kentucky showing their horsemanship skills in dressage, English and Western Equitation, working trails and showmanship classes.

For more information about the Special Olympics Kentucky equestrian program, contact Nick McKenzie at 502-695-8222 or [email protected].