Latest news with #SpringGames
CBS News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Special Olympics Spring Games return to Folsom filled with competition, companionship
FOLSOM – Some athletes will be fiercely competing in this weekend's Special Olympics Spring Games in Folsom. The games have such an impact on these athletes' lives. Stephanie Hammond has been competing for years now, but still remembers when a friend took her to her first games when she was 17. "That it looked really fun and I liked how everyone was so friendly to each other," Hammond said. It's that competition and companionship that make these games so special. "All the sports we do and we get to meet all kinds of different people," Hammond said, "from different counties and stuff." "The relationships that are being built with their teammates and coaches," Will Averbuck said. "There's a family aspect that people don't realize that is the Special Olympics." Hammond specializes in the 400 and 800-meter walk and the turbo javelin. She'll be one of over 600 athletes competing. "Really excited because this is the last stop before they decide who's gonna go to summer games," Hammond said. But win or lose, at the end of the day, it's about so much more. If you wanna check it out, it's this Saturday, 8:30 a.m., in Folsom at Vista Del Lago High School.
USA Today
13-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dan Lanning explains reasoning behind hosting spring games at Oregon
Dan Lanning explains reasoning behind hosting spring games at Oregon College football has seen its share of changes in the last few years and some trends have come about. The transfer portal and NIL are the biggest adjustments everyone involved has had to get used to. Now a new trend is going through the sport and that's the elimination of the annual spring game that is usually the last so-called practice of the spring camp. It's been very popular around the country and in SEC country, the spring game is just as popular as any regular season game. The popularity has slowly migrated west and Oregon's game is becoming more and more popular as the years go on. The Ducks use their game as a platform for gathering canned food to be donated to the food bank in Lane County. Coaches from around the country are leaning towards not having the game based on not wanting opponents to gather tape and insight to plays and formations that can be prepared for in the regular season. But according to Oregon football coach Dan Lanning, Oregon fans will always have an opportunity to watch the Ducks inside Autzen Stadium on a sunny day in late April as long as he is the coach in Eugene. "It's the best way for us to get better. We're absolutely gonna have a spring game and play football," he said. "I think that's a great opportunity to create, you know, Autzen is one of those places we have a spring game. It's a game day environment, creating that environment for those players, the competition that exists in that, and the fans, what they bring to that, I think, is a huge piece. So for me, it's the right way to cap off the spring. And as long as I'm here, we'll be doing Spring Games." Oregon's 2025 Spring Game is slated for April 26 and it will be televised on the Big Ten Network for those who are unable to attend in person.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Volunteers raise over $12 thousand for Special Olympics Arkansas with annual Polar Plunge
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – With ice still on the ground, the 2025 Central Arkansas Special Olympics Polar Plunged lived up to its name Saturday morning. Volunteers raised $12,000 to benefit Special Olympics. Saline County hosts polar plunge to benefit Special Olympics Arkansas The Law Enforcement Torch Run hosted the event at the Little Rock Racquet Club and at 10 a.m. with temperatures in the 30s, groups and individuals took the plunge. 'Special Olympics means so much to me just because I've got family members that are really involved with Special Olympics,' Joe Stitzman from State Farm Insurance in North Little Rock said. 'It just gives me an opportunity to give back to the community in a different way. It really means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to my team as well.' Special Olympics Arkansas hosts Spring Games at Mills High School In addition to raising funds for Special Olympics, the Polar Plunges help create awareness for athletes with intellectual disabilities. You can find more information about Special Olympics Arkansas at . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
