The Special Olympics Missouri State Indoor Games will bring nearly 3,000 athletes, coaches, and Unified Partners from across the state to St. Joseph to compete in basketball and bowling, as well as take part in other special events. This state-level event takes place March 29-31, at various facilities in St. Joseph.
Competition events will take place at several venues, with bowling competitions on Friday and Saturday and basketball competition on Saturday only. Bowling locations include Belt Entertainment and Southside Family Fun Center. Basketball venues include Benton High School, Bishop LeBlond High School, Central High School, Lafayette High School, Missouri Western State University and the St. Joseph Parks and Rec Center.
In order for this event to happen, Special Olympics Missouri is still in need of volunteers all weekend long. Volunteers are vital for the success of any Special Olympics event, and the State Indoor Games take nearly 400 volunteers to succeed. Whether they have prior sports knowledge or not, SOMO can put volunteers in the best position to make a difference and have a good time while they’re at it.
A full list of volunteer opportunities can be found on the Missouri Special Olympics website. Signing up can be done quickly and easily, and is easily self-managed.
The dates and locations where volunteers are needed the most include:
Friday, Mar. 29:
• 7:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Assistant for Bowling at Southside Bowling Lane
• 12:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Assistant for Bowling at Belt Entertainment Lane
• 12:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Assistant for Bowling at Southside Bowling Lane
• 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Healthy Athletes FunFitness at Civic Arena
• 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Healthy Athletes Healthy Hearing at Civic Arena
Saturday, Mar. 30:
• 7:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Individual/Team Basketball Skills Assistant at Central High School
• 7:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Basketball Score/Time Keeper at the REC Center
• 7:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Basketball Score/Time Keeper at Bishop LeBlond High School
• 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Individual/Team Basketball Skills Assistant at Central High School
• 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Assistant for Bowling at Southside Bowling Lane
• 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Basketball Score/Time Keeper at the MSU
• 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Basketball Score/Time Keeper at the REC Center
• 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Assistant for Bowling at Belt Entertainment Lane
• 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Basketball Score/Time Keeper at Benton High School
• 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Basketball Score/Time Keeper at Lafayette High School
• 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Basketball Score/Time Keeper at Bishop LeBlond High School
• 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Healthy Athletes Health Promotions at Civic Arena
Volunteer positions range from assisting athletes during bowling and Healthy Athlete disciplines, keeping time/score, taking photographs, organizing and presenting awards, etc. Videographer and photographer positions are also available each day of competition. No prior knowledge is necessary to volunteer.
If someone is interested in volunteering, contact Kami Delameter at 913-789-0336 or by emailing her at [email protected].
For more information on the games, visit www.somo.org/indoor. If someone is interested in the games, but can’t commit a couple of hours to volunteer, SOMO encourages them to attend all events. We’re on a mission to put “fans in the stands” to cheer for our athletes. Even if you can only stay an hour or two, the athletes will greatly appreciate your support from the stands.
The State Indoor Games would not be possible without the generous contributions of our sponsors. Thank you to our statewide partners: Knights of Columbus, the Law Enforcement Torch Run and Missouri Association of Student Councils.
Our platinum sponsors are as follows: Cosentino’s Catering, the City of St. Joseph, Eagle Communications and St. Joseph School District.
Our gold sponsors are as follows: Sunshine Electronic, Hillyard, Buchanan County, Spire, Belt Entertainment, Southside Family Fun Center and Aramark.
For more information about the 2019 State Indoor Games, please contact Kayla Hull at 573.635.1660 or email [email protected] and visit the Special Olympics Missouri website.
