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Special Olympics Texas 02/01/2023 (scroll down to read the full details)

Spring Woods High School National Banner Presentation & ESPN Top 5

Spring Woods High School (SWHS) out of Houston, Texas, will be named a Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools®, receiving National Banner School and ESPN Top-5 School recognition! The pep-rally celebration will be held on February 3rd at Spring Woods High School (2045 Gessner Rd, Houston, TX 77080) from 11:30-2:30 pm.

The Special Olympics Texas Unified Champion Schools® program engages the entire school community to promote inclusion, respect, and acceptance for all students, with and without intellectual disabilities. Building on the values and principles of Special Olympics Texas, schools across the state are working to create environments that shape the next generation. Through a partnership with the Department of Education, Special Olympics Texas provides the tools and support necessary for each school to succeed. Spring Woods High School is one of five Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools recognized nationally by ESPN. Spring Woods has been a Unified Champion School for four years and competes in 12 Unified Sports. The program started in 2019 and has grown into the school’s most valued initiative.

“I am so proud that Spring Woods High School was chosen as a National Banner Unified Champion School. This is a huge accomplishment for SWHS because it truly embraces our motto: All Means All”, says Spring Woods Principal Jennifer Collier. “When we think about embracing the strengths and gifts of every child, there is no place that spotlights this more than our Unified Programs.”

Unified Champion Schools® use a unique approach that incorporates Special Olympics Unified Sports® (where students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates), Inclusive Youth Leadership, and Whole School Engagement activities that empower youth to be agents of change in their communities. Students with and without intellectual disabilities work together alongside educators and administrators to positively impact their school and community. The Special Olympics Texas UCS program is celebrating over 15 years and is active on hundreds of campuses.

#AllMeansAll

Be a part of the #InclusionRevolution!

Do you have photos from an event or good news you'd like to share with SOTX? Email your story to communications@sotx.org for a chance to be featured!

Join the SOTX Family!

Special Olympics Texas is EXCITED to announce a new position available across Texas! We are now hiring LETR Regional Coordinators for all five regions across the Lone Star State. No matter where you are in Texas, we have a spot for you! This full-time position will support the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) activities in the region to generate resources to improve the Special Olympics experience for the athletes of Texas. You are the community connection point for LETR volunteers, your fellow staff, Special Olympics Texas athletes, and partners within your region!

We would love for you to join our staff and help support our incredible athletes, LETR members, coaches, and families across Texas. If you're interested in applying or learning more about the position, please visit the link below.

Join our staff today!

East Region Polar Plunge

Are you brrrrrave enough?

Special Olympics Texas East Region held its annual Polar Plunge on Saturday, January 28th, at Margaritaville RV Resort Crystal Beach! This event is a unique opportunity for individuals, businesses, and organizations to support more than 13,000 Special Olympics Texas athletes in the East Region. The Plunge raised $12,000 to provide year-round sports training and competition, health, and inclusion programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities in communities throughout the East Region. Thank you to all who participated in support of our athletes!

Do you have photos from an event or good news you'd like to share with SOTX? Email your story to communications@sotx.org for a chance to be featured!

Mesquite Polar Plunge

Area 10 held its Annual Polar Plunge on Saturday, January 28, at Vantson Pool in Mesquite, Texas. We had 45 plungers show up in support of our athletes and take the plunge for inclusion! The event raised over $11,000 to help support Special Olympics Texas athletes in the North Region. Thank you to everyone who came out to plunge or cheer on our participants!

#FreezinForAReason

Abilene Fire Truck Pull

Special Olympics Texas partnered with The Performance Lab to host their Area Powerlifting Competition and Fire Truck Pull on Saturday, January 21st, 2023. The event took place at The Performance Lab (4541 Loop 322, Abilene, TX 79602), with the powerlifting competition starting at 10:00 am and the Fire Truck Pull beginning at 2:00 pm.

Special Olympics Texas Fire Truck Pull is an opportunity for Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) members to support local SOTX athletes by raising funds for sports training and competition, health, and inclusion programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Participants will engage in a ‘tug-of-war’ challenge to pull the fire truck as far as possible.

“We are excited to kick off our 2023 competition year with our Powerlifting, in combination with our Fire Truck Pull fundraiser! It will be a full day of excitement and family-friendly fun,” says Special Olympics Texas West Region Development Director Lisa Rinker.

Bolton Steel Erectors sponsored the event, along with Abilene Fire Department providing the fire truck for the pull. We also partnered with Toyota of Abilene to provide a truck, and Lone Star Power Sports to provide an ATV for spectators to attempt the pull. All funds raised from the event will go towards supporting the development of sports competitions and health programs for athletes in the Abilene community.

Thank you for coming out!

Do you have photos from an event or good news you'd like to share with SOTX? Email your story to communications@sotx.org for a chance to be featured!

SOTX Unified Champion Schools® Partnership for Inclusion: 2022-2023

Want to know more about our Unified Programs and how to get involved? For information about Unified Sports® and Unified Champion Schools®, please visit the links below. We would love to share our passion for inclusion with you!

Additional Contact: Tammy Hortenstine, the Executive Director of Unified Programs, at thortenstine@sotx.org or (737) 867-9634.

UCS Film Competition

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FEB 1ST!

The deadline to submit your campus's Unified Film has been extended to TONIGHT at 11:59 pm! Special Olympics Texas wanted to provide our UCS campuses with extra time to film, edit, and submit their video for the competition! Videos should showcase all the initiatives your school is using to promote a more inclusive world for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The film should be less than 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and the link should be submitted to UCSinfo@sotx.org by tonight!

For any last-minute questions, please don't hesitate to contact UCSinfo@sotx.org. Good luck!

Feel Good, Do Good

Story of the Week

Meet the seven members from Texas who will represent the US this summer in Germany at the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023! Our athletes, Unified Partners, and head coaches will join a select group from across the country to make up Special Olympics USA at the World Games this June. Read full bios and learn more at SpecialOlympicsUSA.org.

Our Texas members are Athlete Tyler Dodson, Athlete Allison Dohrman, Athlete Kevin Harrell, Unified Partner Davy Holak, Unified Partner Robert Westlake, Head Coach Teresa Sullivan, and Head Coach Jack Yoes! Congratulations to our Texas delegation members!

#Cheer4USA

Do you have photos from an event or good news you'd like to share with SOTX? Email your story to communications@sotx.org for a chance to be featured!

SOTX In The News

Intramural Flag Football Teams Finish Top 4 at National Tournament

SAN ANGELO, Texas — "Angelo State University intramural flag football teams, including the inaugural unified team of ASU students and Special Olympics athletes, posted two top-four placings at the 2023 NIRSA National Flag Football Tournament held Jan. 6-8 in Round Rock. In the Unified Division, ASU’s The Untouchables fell just short of playing for a national championship, losing in the semifinals to a team from the University of Florida, 32-26."

Special Olympics to host Area Powerlifting Competition and Fire Truck Pull in Abilene

ABILENE, Texas — "Special Olympics Texas is partnering with The Performance Lab to host a Area Powerlifting Competition and Fire Truck Pull to raise funds for "sports training and competition, health, and inclusion programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities." Participants will partake in a tug of war to pull the fire truck, provided by the Abilene Fire Department, as far as they can."

President Polar Plunge, dunk an Abilene university president by donating to Special Olympics Texas

ABILENE, Texas — "Special Olympics Texas will host a ‘Dunk the President’ competition where one president of an Abilene university will take a ‘Polar Plunge’. The presidents in the running to take the polar plunge are Phil Schubert from Abilene Christian University, Eric Bruntmyer from Hardin-Simmons University and Sandra Harper from McMurry University. All of the money raised will go towards sports training, competitions, heath and inclusion programs year-round for individuals with intellectual disabilities in the Big Country."

UTRGV officially designated Special Olympic champion school

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas — "The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has been recognized for its online classes, the number of degrees it awards to Hispanic students and now it is officially a Special Olympic Champion school. UTRGV is one of just three Special Olympics National Unified Champion Schools in Texas and they are hoping to expand the program. “They have so much abilities that we can learn for them as well as they learn from us,” said Maria Luisa Trinidad, UTRGV Lecturer and Unified Coach."

Cedar Hill ISD to Host Special Olympics Basketball Tournament on Saturday

CEDER HILL, Texas — "As a three-sport athlete growing up in Burleson, Heather Parks always knew she wanted to teach and coach. She graduated from Texas Wesleyan University and began working at Cedar Hill High School in the mid 1990s. During her time at CHHS, Parks was the head girls soccer coach and later became involved in teaching Partner Physical Education (Partner PE) where high school scholars have an opportunity to teach Special Education scholars about sports. “I learned during that time that I have a passion for coaching Special Education kids,” Parks said."

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