SOMO News

ST. CHARLES – The 2023 Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) State Indoor Games will bring more than 1,500 athletes, coaches, volunteers and Unified partners from across the state to St. Charles, March 24-25. The Games will be held at Lindenwood University, Duchesne High School, Rec Plex South, St. Charles West High School, Cave Springs Lanes, Harvest Lanes and St. Charles Lanes. The theme this year is disco!

“We are very excited to have our State Indoor Games in St. Charles,” Senior Programs Director Melinda Wrye-Washington said. “Our athletes can’t wait to showcase their skills on the big stage!”

This year’s State Indoor Games will feature two sports: Basketball and Bowling. Our bowling competition is on Friday, and our basketball competition is on Saturday. You can find the full schedule of events with locations here! Athletes had to qualify for the State Indoor Games through their regional and area competitions.

We still have plenty of volunteer opportunities available, and we strongly encourage the entire community to come out to support the athletes of Special Olympics Missouri. We are especially looking for volunteers to help with bowling and Opening Ceremony setup.

You can find and sign up for all of our State Indoor Games’ volunteer opportunities here!

“We would not be able to put on events like the State Indoor Games without the support from local volunteers,” Wrye-Washington said. “We appreciate each and every one of them!”

The State Indoor Games will officially kick off with the Opening Ceremony at Lindenwood University’s Hyland Arena on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. Fox 2’s Kevin Ryans will emcee the program. Two of SOMO’s local cheer teams are slated to perform during the ceremony. SOMO’s St. Louis Metro Area Athlete of the year, Brent Kampert, will light the Law Enforcement Torch Run Flame of Hope! After the Opening Ceremony, SOMO will hold its annual State Indoor Games’ dance and bingo event at Hyland Arena.

Along with the competitions, SOMO will also hold its health and wellness clinics – Healthy Athletes and Sports Zone. Throughout the weekend, we are offering all of the following: Opening Eyes, Health Hearing, Special Smiles, Medfest, FUNfitness and Health Promotion.

PLEASE NOTE: In order to get a free physical at the State Indoor Games, you must fill out this online form BEFORE March 20, 2023. You will NOT be able to walk up and get a physical at the State Indoor Games without following this instruction.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to once again offer free health screenings to our athletes,” Health Partnership Manager Carol Griffin said.

Special Olympics Missouri is dedicated to improving the overall health and fitness of its athletes, not only through organized sports training and competition, but by also providing free health screenings through the Healthy Athletes program. All of these screenings are provided for SOMO athletes free of charge. SOMO will hold Healthy Athletes and Sports Zone at different times throughout the weekend. These are incredible opportunities for the SOMO athletes. Some of the perks include the potential to get free glasses or goggles. SOMO athletes can also get a free physical, which is good for three years. For more information on these free health screenings, visit somo.org/health.

For the most up-to-date information on the State Indoor Games, make sure you download the mobile app! To download, you can either scan the QR code below OR search the Apple or Google Play app stores and search for “Whova.” You’ll need an email to sign up. Once you have downloaded the Whova app, search for “State Indoor Games 2023” and connect to our event. Use the invitation code: StateIndoorGames2023

Thank you so much to our sponsors!

Statewide Partners: Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR), Missouri Association of Student Councils (MASC), Diamond Pet Foods, Veterans United Home Loans, Knights of Columbus, University of Missouri System, University of Missouri and MU Health Care.

Special Olympics Missouri 

Special Olympics Missouri is a year-round program of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Thousands of athletes participate in 16 Olympic-type sports throughout the state. Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy as they participate in the sharing of gifts and friendship with their fellow athletes, their family and friends and communities across Missouri.

Special Olympics Missouri is proud of our financial health, returning 78% of every dollar back to program services. We are privileged to be recognized with these honors: Better Business Bureau A+ Charity Accreditation, Charity Navigator 4-star rating and Guidestar Gold Level. Special Olympics was also recently named Morning Consult’s No. 4 most trusted nonprofit.

Thank you for trusting us with your donations, volunteer time and your goodwill. 

Visit Special Olympics Missouri at www.somo.org. Engage with us on Twitter and Facebook.