The UW-Whitewater campus will host the 2023 Special Olympics of Wisconsin Summer Games June 8-10. This will be the first time that Whitewater has hosted the major event which will have over 1,500 participants.

According to Special Olympics of Wisconsin (SOWI) President and CEO Chad Hershner, Whitewater was chosen to host the event because of its high quality sports facilities as well as the ability to house the high number of participants. Accessibility is another part of why SOWI selected Whitewater as a host. 

“We know that inclusivity and working with people with disabilities is a priority mission,” said UW-Whitewater’s Camps and Conferences director Morgan Anderson. “Because our facilities are more user friendly for a person who may have a mobility concern is part of the reason they selected our campus.”

SOWI was founded in 1968 and has been unifying people through sports ever since, providing athletes of all ages with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sporting events. 

“Our mission is to provide those year round sports training and competition activities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Our youngest athlete is 4 and our oldest athlete is 94, so we want to give everybody an opportunity to compete,” Hershner said.

Special Olympics, though a sports first group, is the largest public health organization, according to Hershner. The organization provides aid in eight different areas of health, and some of them will be present at the summer games in Whitewater. They will be providing services ranging from general nutrition all the way to dental screenings.

The summer games are one of SOWI’s biggest events, the organization hosts athletic events year round but their summer games are a highlight.

“UW-Whitewater is where we have the majority of our activities taking place, certainly track and field, soccer, cornhole is a new sport we have this year and that’s just going gangbusters, tennis, gymnastics and powerlifting,” said Hershner.
The games will feature an expected 1,500 athletes who will participate in a wide range of Olympic-style events. The newly added event of cornhole has spiked to be one of the organization’s most popular events. Around 700 people have signed up to participate in cornhole, bringing it close to the numbers of bowling which have drawn 900 participants. 

One of the most striking things about the athletes is the pride that they take in being a SOWI athlete, Hershner said.

“What I love is that whenever you meet an athlete of the Special Olympics of Wisconsin, the first thing they’ll say is ‘hi my name is Chad, I’m a Special Olympics of Wisconsin athlete.’ For them it’s a sense of community, it’s a sense of belonging and lifting everyone else up,” Hershner said.

With thousands of competitors slated to participate, Hershner made a call for Whitewater community members and students to volunteer to help the games run smoothly.

“If you can just volunteer for a shift at the summer games I guarantee it will change your life,” Hershner said. “Just being with these athletes, seeing them compete, seeing the joy, witnessing their athleticism is just so inspiring.”

Part of why that experience is so great is because of the pride that the SOWI athletes take in their competition. According to Hershner, the athletes train year-round for the games, many of the athletes are even multi-sport athletes, participating in an event during the summer and then another in the SOWI winter games. 

According to Anderson, the community has already begun to respond to the call for volunteers and is ready to see the soul that the SOWI athletes bring to campus.

“Our community has already responded really well to the Special Olympics being here by reaching out to be a volunteer. It really integrates the community into the event and into our campus,” Anderson said.

Between athletes, coaches and games management teams there will be nearly 1,800 people staying in university housing. Anderson called the games the largest single event that Camps and Conferences has hosted. 

“We’re working with facilities, parking and police services, housing, dining and catering to make sure that everyone that comes here has a positive experience from the moment they come in our parking lot, going to use the restroom, making sure our facilities are clean and we’re well prepared for the volume of individuals that will be here,” Anderson said.

The games will open June 8 with a parade of athletes, followed by the lighting of the cauldron. Hershner said that during the weekend there is even going to be a dance. SOWI athletes love to dance and it’s a great way for everyone to have fun after long days of tough competition.

To volunteer at the Summer Games you can sign up here. If you want to attend the games a schedule for the events can be found here.