Hundreds of athletes and volunteers filled Schar Center on April 10 for the 2025 Special Olympics Alamance County Spring Games. The athletes, ranging from elementary school age to adults, competed in a variety of events including softball throw, long jump and relay racing.
Julia Swartz is a special events coordinator for Special Olympics at Elon University and said it’s important for athletes of all ages to be able to participate in these games.
“It’s important to have representation of all ages like we have here because everyone deserves a chance to have fun and get a workout in,” Swartz said. “I think that’s why it’s so important to have things like this, and it really brings the community together as well.”
Throughout the day, students and adults rotated through each event, and volunteers and guests cheered from the stands as they competed. At the end of each event, athletes were awarded a medal for their participation.
Ken Theodore helps coordinate events for residents at Ralph Scott Lifeservices, an assisted living facility for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Theodore said the athletes from Ralph Scott enjoy this event every year.
“Special Olympics is special for them,” Theodore said. “We kind of agree with the motto that says, ‘Let me be brave in my attempt.’ As they attempt, we cheer them on, so they were definitely excited.”
Since last year’s Special Olympics Spring Games were rained out, the last time the games were held at Elon was in 2023. Special Olympics coordinator Elon junior Georgia Elinski, said she and everyone else involved were looking forward to hosting this event for the first time in two years.
“It kind of feels like we’ve been planning this event for two years because it never happened last year,” Elinski said. “That was a huge disappointment for us, so I can’t even imagine for the athletes because they look forward to it so much. They’ve just been so excited for so long, and now that we can hold it inside, there was really no stress or anything about it being rained out. It’s just great vibes all around.”
Elon senior Elizabeth Price has been involved with the Special Olympics events since her sophomore year. Price said this annual event helps connect Elon to the local community and people around Alamance County.
“It’s a way to emphasize how important it is to give back to our community and especially to this community of individuals with special needs,” Price said. “I think it’s so important that inclusion is a part of everyone’s everyday life.”
Special Olympics Alamance County hosts weekly events for its athletes. Students interested in volunteering can visit the Kernodle Center or the Special Olympics Alamance County website.