Practice is Underway In All Fall Sports

The fall sports season is one of Special Olympics Kentucky busiest times in terms of number of athletes competing and competition options. Practices are underway throughout Kentucky in all four fall sports offerings.

Our fall sports season includes bowling, which is our most popular individual sport and a sport in which many athletes first compete in Special Olympics, equestrian, flag football and artistic gymnastics.

Bowling

Bowling continues its growth in our program. Prior to having to have athletes qualify via area bowling tournaments, the State Bowling Tournament was our largest single-sport event and rivaled the State Summer Games for total number of competitors. The bowling season consists of several weeks of local practice that lead up to Area Bowling Tournaments that are held throughout the state. All bowlers who record and report at least 10 practice game scores qualify to compete in their Area Bowling Tournament. For the second year, 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.

2023 Bowling Schedule
Oct. 7-8 – Area 4 Bowling Tournament; King Pin Lanes, Louisville
Oct. 14 – Area 6 Bowling Tournament; Galaxy Bowl, Richmond
Oct. 14-15 – Area 1 Bowling Tournament; Cardinal Lanes, Paducah
Oct. 20 & 22 – Area 8 Bowling Tournament; Southland Lanes, Lexington
Oct. 21 – Area 5 Bowling Tournament; Southern Lanes, Bowling Green
Oct. 21 – Area 7 Bowling Tournament; Super Bowl Bellewood, Newport
Oct. 28 – Area 2 Bowling Tournament; Diamond Lanes South, Owensboro
Oct. 28 – Area 3&9 Bowling Tournament; Bowl Rite, Prestonsburg

Flag Football

Flag Football has been the fastest growing team sport offering for many years. The flag football season consists of three regional tournaments that lead up to the State Flag Football Tournament that will be held on either Saturday, Nov. 4, at Tates Creek High School in Lexington.

2023 Flag Football Schedule
Oct. 1 – Louisville Regional Flag Football Tournament; St. Xavier High School, Louisville
Oct. 22 – Western Kentucky Regional Flag Football Tournament; McCracken County High School
Oct. 22 – Northern Kentucky Regional Flag Football Tournament; Thomas More University, Crestview Hills
Nov. 4  – 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 will be held Sunday, Nov. 19, at Legacy All-Sports in Lexington. The event brings together between 25 and 30 gymnasts from several adaptive programs throughout the state.

Equestrian

The 2023 State Equestrian Competition was the first state-level event of the fall sports season. This year’s event was held on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Shelby County Fairgrounds in Shelbyville. It was  the third 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.

To volunteer for any of our remaining fall events, click here.

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 Michaele Roy at [email protected] or 502-695-8222.