Newport, Ky. – More than 170 Special Olympics bowlers will return to Super Bowl Bellewood in Newport on Saturday, Oct. 24, for the Special Olympics Kentucky Area 7 Bowling Tournament.
The tournament will be held in three sessions. Opening ceremonies for the first session which includes all male singles event bowlers, will start at 7:50 am and competition will begin at 8:00. The second session includes the Unified Bowling event, which pairs a Special Olympics athlete with a partner who doesn’t have an intellectual disability – often a parent or sibling – for practice and competition. Opening ceremonies for session 2 begin at 9:50 am and bowling begins at 10. The third session will feature female bowlers competing in the singles event as well as ramp-assisted bowlers. Opening ceremonies for that session start at 11:50 am and bowling starts at noon.
Participants in the tournament bowl two games with total pin fall determining the winner in each division. All athletes who win their division and in some cases those who place second will advance to the State Bowling Tournament Dec. 5-6 in Louisville.
The Area 7 Bowling Tournament includes Special Olympics athletes from Boone, Campbell, Caroll, Grant, Kenton, Owen and Pendleton Counties.
Bowling is one of the most popular sports Special Olympics Kentucky offers throughout the year and generally draws more than 1,300 athletes statewide. The State Bowling Tournament is annually the largest individual sport competition on the Special Olympics Kentucky calendar.
The Area 7 Bowling Tournament is made possible by Special Olympics Kentucky Year-Round Partners Jersey Mike’s, Texas Roadhouse and Toyota.
For more information about the Area 7 Bowling Tournament or about the Special Olympics bowling program, contact Special Olympics Kentucky Sports Program Manager Kathy Marshall at 502-695-8222 or via e-mail at kmarshall@soky.org.
Special Olympics is the world’s largest program of sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Participation in competitive events is open to all individuals eight years of age or older. Training and competition in local, area, state, and national programs is offered year-round in Kentucky in 15 sports. In addition to its traditional sports competitions, Special Olympics also offers early childhood programming through the Young Athletes Program and medical screenings though the Healthy Athletes Initiative. Special Olympics Kentucky began as a one-day event in Louisville in 1970 and has expanded to serve more than 10,200 athletes statewide annually. Special Olympics celebrated the 55th Anniversary of the global movement in 2023.
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Mark Buerger
VP of Communications and External Relations
Special Olympics Kentucky
105 Lakeview Ct.
Frankfort, KY 40601
(o) 502-695-8222
(c) 859-338-6075
www.soky.org
Facebook: www.fb.com/sokentucky
Twitter: @sokentucky
Instagram: @so_kentucky
