SOMO News

(Jefferson City) More than 2,200 athletes and coaches, along with family and friends from across Missouri will converge on Springfield May 29-31, 2015, for the Special Olympics Missouri State Summer Games. This will be the first of a four-year term in Springfield.

This is the first time a Special Olympics Missouri state event will be held in Springfield since the State Summer Games in 2011.

“Our past experiences with Springfield have been among the best in the state,” said Mark Musso, Special Olympics Missouri CEO/President. “The bids were very competitive but after the site visits it was obvious that the city of Springfield, Drury University, Missouri State University and the members of the Springfield Sports Commission and Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau are united and excited about bringing SOMO State Summer Games back to Springfield.”

Volleyball, athletics (track and field), aquatics, soccer and powerlifting are featured in the State Summer Games, which were previously held in Columbia from 2012-14. Competition will include traditional games, Unified Sports® (bringing together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities — people of similar age and athletic ability), team skills and individual skills.

“The Springfield Sports Commission, along with the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, Missouri State University and Drury University are incredibly honored that our city was awarded this contract for 2015-2018,” said Lance Kettering, Executive Director. “In addition to the competition, it is always exciting to see the spirit of the Special Olympics State Summer Games with the friendships that are formed by the athletes, volunteers, staff, sponsors and our community. We look forward to the next four years and our partnership with Special Olympics Missouri.”

The two local venues that will be used for the 2015-2018 State Summer Games are the campus of Missouri State University for volleyball, athletics, soccer and powerlifting and Drury University for aquatics.

Volunteers play an enormously important role in the success of this event. A Games Management Team is being formed to plan and organize the event during the months leading up to it. An estimated 1,500 volunteers will be needed for the actual running of the competition. There are a wide variety of volunteer opportunities available including fundraising, meal planning, special event planning, setup and more.

The event is expected to cost approximately $230,000. Sponsorships help underwrite the cost of the event and allow more opportunities for our athletes. For more information on volunteering or sponsorships, contact Trish Lutz at lutz@somo.org or call 573-635-1660.