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Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009

Special Olympics returning

The summer of 2010 will be memorable in Warner Robins.

Aug. 13, ESPN will broadcast nationwide the Southeast Regional Little League games, and the following weekend the Special Olympics Georgia Masters Bowling Tournament will be held at Gold Cup Bowling Center and Robins Air Force Base.

Both events will bring hundreds of athletes, coaches and their families to town. Special Olympics is expected to bring 800 athletes, 250 coaches and their families Aug. 20-22.

“We are so happy to welcome Special Olympics home,” said Mary Therese Tebbe, Warner Robins Convention & Visitors Bureau chairwoman and 21st Century Partnership executive director.

Special Olympics Georgia Masters Bowling has been hosted before in Warner Robins and comes home after several years in Savannah.

“Warner Robins and Special Olympics are a perfect pair because we are a family-oriented town that loves sports,” Mayor John Havrilla said.

Special Olympics Georgia provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for nearly 23,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

“Few events, athletic or otherwise, bring a community together like Special Olympics Georgia state events,” said Special Olympics Georgia Chief Executive Officer Georgia Milton-Sheats, who coincidentally spent her high school years in Warner Robins. “The bowling tournament promotes individual growth, develops volunteer spirit and opens up a wide range of potential opportunities,” she said.

The Masters Bowling Tournament will take place over two days drawing athletes from more than 50 communities across Georgia. The average age of participating athletes is 22, and more than 100 family members are expected to attend the games.

There will be about 250 coaches and chaperones volunteering their time to accompany athletes for the weekend. However, there is a need for 400 local volunteers to help conduct the tournaments. And, as part of the tournament, the Museum of Aviation will host a dance for all the athletes, coaches and families the second evening of the tournament.

To learn more about Special Olympics Georgia, visit its Web site at www.specialolympicsga.org. To learn more about the volunteer opportunities for next summer’s games, call 922-5100.

Marsha Priest Buzzell is executive director of the Warner Robins Convention & Visitors Bureau. Contact her at 922-5100 or cvb@warnerrobinsga.gov.