Team Kentucky Ready for Florida
Next Stop for Team Kentucky is Orlando!
The athletes, Unified partners and coaches who make up Team Kentucky for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games completed their official team preparations for the Games and now their next stop is Orlando! All 60 Team Kentucky members gathered for the Team Kentucky Training Camp March 18-20 in Richmond, Ky., for the only time they’ll meet as a whole before they leave for the Games.
Training Camp included practice sessions for all of the individual athletes and teams who will compete at the Games — many at Eastern Kentucky University, activities for our group headed to Orlando for the Youth Leadership Experience and opportunities to get to know the teammates they will spend a week with in June. For many of the athletes it was the first time they have had the opportunity to meet and practice in person with their USA Games coaches.
“Training Camp is a very important part of the USA Games process for us,” said Special Olympics Kentucky Senior VP of Field and Athlete Services and Team Kentucky Head of Delegation Kim Satterwhite. “It’s a great opportunity for coaches and athletes to get used to working with each other, to start making new friends and for many to broaden their experiences. It really helps ensure our athletes can focus on competing and have the best possible experience when they get to the Games.”
For the second consecutive Training Camp, Saturday also included a practice visit to the airport for our athletes who haven’t had the opportunity to fly before. Thanks to the help of Blue Grass Airport and the TSA, athletes who opted for the trip went through a realistic travel experience from check-in right up to when they would board the plane.
See Team Kentucky Training Camp Photos
While athletes will continue to train in their home communities, the next time Team Kentucky will be together will be to make the trip to Orlando for the Games. Team Kentucky will meet in Louisville on Friday, June 3, before leaving from Muhammad Ali Airport on June 4 to make sure they get to the Opening Ceremonies on Sunday, June 5.
The 2022 USA Games will run from June 5-11, with team Kentucky returning to Louisville on June 12.
The 2022 USA Games are the fifth such games in Special Olympics history. Past USA Games were held in 2006 in Ames, Iowa; 2010 in Lincoln, Neb.; in 2014 in New Jersey and in 2018 in Seattle.
The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games will unite more than 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the Caribbean during one of the country’s most cherished sporting events–the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games. The USA Games will offer 19 Olympic-style team and individual sports, including athletics (track & field), basketball, bocce, bowling, cheerleading, equestrian, flag football, golf, gymnastics, open water swimming, powerlifting, soccer, softball, stand up paddleboard, surfing, swimming, tennis, triathlon and volleyball.