De Soto Special Olympics
Hundreds of athletes took part in the annual Special Olympics track meet held April 26 at De Soto High School, event coordinator Terri Dallas said.
“We had 300 registered. That’s just the athletes,” she said. “We have right around 475 volunteers. That includes student councils from 10 of the schools in Jefferson County. We had 13 school districts and agencies – De Soto, Dunklin, Festus, Fox, Grandview, Hillsboro, Jefferson R-7, NextStep for Life, Northwest, Pony Bird, Sullivan, Sunrise and Windsor.”
Dallas said participation was down from pre-COVID-19 years, but the event was still a success.
“This was the first full one in three years,” she said. “The last full one was 2019. We lost 2020 and 2021 was downsized.”
The track meet showcases athletes with developmental disabilities competing in many traditional track and field events, as well as some modified ones.
“The athletes can start competing at age 8 and, from NextStep, can be over 60 years of age,” Dallas said. “We have individual running events. We have relay races. We have the long jump. We have shot put and a softball throw. We have some shorter-distance runs, like a 10-
meter race for people who use wheelchairs and walkers.
“We’ll modify throwing events, such as a tennis-ball throw for people with low motor skills.”
Dallas said a highlight of each year’s Special Olympics track meet is pairing high school volunteers with the athletes during the day.
“We had enough buddies to match with every athlete,” she said. “The buddies get their athletes to all their events and are their No. 1 cheerleader. All the student council members did this.”
Dallas said De Soto High School has been a superb host for the track meet.
“This was our 22nd year working with De Soto. That includes 2020, because the planning process for this starts each year in January,” she said. “I can’t say enough about De Soto.”
Members of the De Soto community also pitch in to make the event a success.
“The De Soto Amvets fed the athletes and the volunteers again,” Dallas said. “They’ve participated all 22 years. The De Soto Junior High School Student Council runs Victory Village, a place with carnival games for the athletes to play in between events. The city of De Soto Fire Department and the De Soto Rural Fire Protection District brought firetrucks for the athletes to climb on. The Jefferson County Health Department brought its wellness van. Valle Ambulance provided first aid. We had sponsorships from De Soto businesses.”
Aiden Klepac of Windsor soars with style in the long jump event.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office conducted a torch run during opening ceremonies, Dallas added.
In addition, karaoke was available.
“We invite anyone to come be a part of it,” she said. “Most importantly, we want people to know there’s a day for athletes.”