The Special Olympics is a Spring Event that will be taking place at the Manville High School track field on Saturday, May 10, from 8 am to 3 pm. This event includes athletes ages 8-21 with a developmental disability.
Since this Olympics focusses on Track and Field events, there will be a lot of activities for the athletes to participate in. For the track events, there will be an 100m wheelchair race, 10m wheelchair race, 25m assisted walk, 25m assisted wheelchair race, 25m wheelchair race (non-motorized), 25m wheelchair straight (motorized), 25m wheelchair obstacle (motorized), 30m wheelchair slalom (motorized and non-motorized), 50m wheelchair slalom (motorized), 50m assisted walk, 25m race, 25m/50m/100m/200m/400m walk, 25m/50m/100m/200m/400m dash, 1500m run, 4×100 relay, and a 4×100 unified relay. For the field events, there will be a standing long jump, running long jump, softball/tennis ball throw (including wheelchair), shot put, and turbo javelin. The activities that the Manville athletes will be competing in are the 50m run, the 25m wheelchair race, the softball throw, and the javelin throw.
Manville is hosting this event for Somerset County, so towns such as Bridgewater and Montgomery will be participating. However, any school, group home, or organized group in Somerset County is able to create a team and compete in the Special Olympics. This year, it is anticipated that there will be about 200 athletes competing in the event, including Midland and Montgomery Academy, which are two out-of-district schools.
The Special Olympics was originally hosted at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, but last year, when the school’s track was undergoing construction, they transitioned to hosting it at Manville High School. Due to positive experiences with the students and staff of Manville, the director of Somerset County (District 10) Special Olympics decided to return to Manville for the event this year, and they plan to host the event in Manville moving forward. Additionally, Manville’s track and field offered easier access to those who use wheelchairs for mobility.
The practices for the Special Olympics began on Saturday, March 29th. The volunteers are expected to arrive at the Manville gym by 8:50 am every Saturday leading up to the event. The Manville athletes will arrive at 9 am, and from 9 am to 11 am the athletes will practice their skills and prepare for the main event. If the weather is appropriate, the athletes and volunteers will go outside on the track and practice there.
Some teachers are involved in this event, as well as volunteers. If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering for the main event or for the practices, you can email Ms. Wilde (email attached below) or stop by her office!
The Special Olympics is a highly anticipated event that is happening on May 10 at the Manville Track and Field. The snack shack will be open the day of the event, and tents will be set up with representatives from local fire/ems/police departments, along with the local recreation department. If this is something you want to be a part of, feel free to email Ms. Wilde at [email protected]!
