June/ July 2022
We hope you've been enjoying your summer so far! We're excited to share what we've been up to recently as well as events we have coming up so you can pencil a couple things including Fall Games, Young Athletes programs (and more) into your calendars!
Summer means it is bocce season! As the weather has gotten warmer, we've hosted two recreational bocce tournament so far this year.
The 2022 UCS Recreational Bocce Tournament took place at Brattleboro Union High School on Wednesday, May 11th. A total of 86 athletes and partners participated, playing in both teams of four and teams of two. The weather was warm, music was playing, and everyone had a fun time. A huge shout out to Brattleboro HS for hosting what may become an annual event, as well as to Rutland, Hartford, Essex, and Otter Valley for bringing their best selves.
The Recreational Bocce Tournament at the Willey Family Farm took place on Saturday, June 4th, and was a wonderful event. Sunny skies, beautiful scenery, and the smiles on everyone’s faces made for a fun day of bocce. Speaking of smiles, everyone also got a Special Smiles goody bag, in an effort to restart Healthy Athlete campaigns.
SOVT Benefit Golf Tournament at Burlington Country Club
Monday, May 23rd was a beautiful, sunny day for our first ever Benefit Golf Tournament at Burlington Country Club presented by Hickok & Boardman Insurance Group and Union Mutual. 18 teams of four competed in the tournament, including Jenny Mayfield and Mathew Benn our two golfers that represented Vermont at the 2022 USA Games. This event raised $20,000 to support Special Olympics athletes and programming across the state of Vermont, including recreational bocce tournaments in June, Fall Games North and South, as well as our state-wide athlete golf tournament in September, and health and fitness programming. The silent auction raised $2,000 which went towards supporting the 6 Vermont athletes in their journey to the 2022 USA Games!
On Wednesday May 25th, Bellcate School and Burr and Burton Academy faced off in the Vermont Principals’ Association State Championship Game. Both schools had a great season and went undefeated all the way to the Championship. After a great contest between the two teams, Bellcate came out on top with a final score of 39-28. A huge congratulations to both teams on a great game as well as all Unified basketball players and teams on another great season!
The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games was a smashing success for team Vermont! Our six athletes collected one gold medal, two silver, two bronze, and several 4th through 8th ribbons. We are so proud of each and every one of our athletes for how well they represented Vermont, both in their competitions and with their sportsmanship. In addition to our competing athletes, our participants in the Youth Leadership Experience displayed spectacular skills in a variety of areas. Click the button below to read more.
Onto the July Fitness Challenge!
July marks the start of our 2nd Monthly Fitness Challenge! Every month we will be presenting a challenge to all of our athletes as a way to stay healthy and fit during their off seasons! This month the challenge is to walk as much as you can throughout the month. Every 20 minutes of walking by an athlete will give them 1 entry into our end of the month raffle. You can earn additional entries for every 20 minutes you walk, so don’t stop at 20! The raffle will contain a range of prizes and merchandise from Special Olympics Vermont. We had a great June turnout, and hope to see even more athletes participate in our July Monthly Fitness Challenge!
Upcoming Events
In Good Taste Virtual Wine Tasting for Special Olympics, July 21st
Southern Recreational Bocce Tournament, July 31st, Rutland
Fall Games North, Saturday September 17th, Collins Perley Sport and Fitness Center
Fall Golf at Basin Harbor, Saturday September 17th
Fall Games South, Sunday September 18th, Dana L. Thompson Memorial Park
SOVT Benefit Golf Tournament at Dorset Field Club, Monday September 19th
Young Athletes Programs:
Hinesburg in the Fall
Burlington in the Winter
Email info@vtso.org for more information.
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