Articles from August 2015

The SOIA State Equestrian Competition will be held at the Jester Park Equestrian Center in Granger Sept. 26. Please note the change of date and location.

Athletes from across the state will compete in events including horsemanship, egg and spoon, barrel race, ball drop, key hole race, pole bending and baton relay. Balance, stability and the right communication between the horse and the rider are key elements for success.

Kayla Craun has been an equestrian athlete since 2011 and says her favorite part about Special Olympics is riding horses.

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Special Olympics Iowa athlete Brian Rolek received the opportunity of a lifetime when he was asked to compete at the Principal Charity Classic Pro-Am. A Pro-Am takes place before the professional event and joins ordinary golfers on a team with a PGA Tour golfer and, sometimes, a celebrity.

A self-taught golfer, Rolek held his own and even out-drove Champion’s Tour professional Jay Don Blake on a hole or two. Also on his team was NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton.

“It made me very proud to represent Special Olympics,” said Rolek. “I got to use skills I learned in Special Olympics such as how to interview and be comfortable with new people. It was great to be on the golf course and play as well as the other men. Special Olympics gave me the confidence and practice.”

SOIA athlete Tyler Leech (center) talks about the Unified Relay Across America with CEO Gary Harms (right) and anchor Elias Johnson (left) on the ABC Local 5 News segment on June 10.

If you have seen some of our athletes on the news lately, it may have been part of a new partnership between Special Olympics Iowa and ABC Local 5 News in Des Moines.

Since February, SOIA has been featured in a series of live interviews during the midday news. The segments appear on the second Wednesday of every month at approximately 11:50 a.m.

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