Running Together
A Record Year for Local Participants and Organizers of the Ohio Special Olympics
Fifty-four athletes representing Hilliard will compete June 28-30 in the 2024 Special Olympics of Ohio Summer Games at various locations on the campus of The Ohio State University and in Upper Arlington.
Among the athletes are siblings Conner and Katy Kennedy, of Hilliard.
Conner, 22, is a 2021 graduate of Hilliard Bradley High School, and his sister, Katy, 28, is a 2015 graduate of Bradley.
The siblings have been competing in the Special Olympics of Ohio since their first year of eligibility at the age of eight.
Conner plays tennis and Katy competes in a newer event in the Summer Games- bocce ball.
Katy transferred her love for bowling to bocce ball, a game that by most accounts originated in Italy during the Roman Empire (but some accounts say it originated in Greece or Egypt even earlier) and requires a similar skill set to bowling.
Both siblings also participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Ohio on June 25.
Hilliard police officers, Special Olympics athletes, and others carried a torch from the Hilliard Municipal Building on Norwich Street, Main Street, Avery Road, and Northwest Parkway, to the conclusion of the torch run at Norwich Township Fire Station 81.
It served as one of several fundraisers for staging the Special Olympics of Ohio, helping defray the costs of travel and equipment and other expenses for the athletes.
The Polar Plunge, a winter event in which police officers swim in cold water, is another event. It has been held at Alum Creek State Park and Lower.Com Field in the recent past.
So far this year, events supporting the Special Olympics of Ohio have raised a record $89,000, said Haley Melcher, director of development for the south-central region of Special Olympics of Ohio.
Athletes can continue participating for as long as they choose and do not ‘age out,’ Melcher said.
There is also no strict residency requirement.
While most athletes on Hilliard’s team, or any given team, live in that city or are a graduate of its school district, students are allowed to participate on a different team if their desired sport is not available to that particular team, Melcher said.
Events are traditionally held at the Jesse Owens Center at OSU where the opening ceremonies will be held June 28, but owing to construction there this year; the events will be relocated to other locations on the OSU campus and in Upper Arlington.
The 54 athletes from Hilliard is a record number, said Andrea Fogt, a Hilliard school teacher who has been coordinator of the Hilliard Special Olympics since 2002.
Hilliard Det. Brandon Long organizes the torch run each year and supports Hilliard’s team in the Special Olympics of Ohio.
Conner said he has playing tennis “since forever,” and enjoys not only playing the chance to make and keep new friends.
“It’s a time to get together with your friends (and) there is a sense of community and unity,” Conner said.
Oh, and the food is great, too.
“It’s a place to compete and nibble on cheesy goodness... pizza is the cherry on top,” Conner said.