Thank you, SOTX Volunteers

By Tela Mange

As the 2012 Winter Games draw to a close, we want to take a moment to thank the hundreds of volunteers who came out to assist SOTX staff in putting on the various events around Austin and Round Rock this weekend.

There were folks who knitted literally THOUSANDS of red and blue scarves and then shipped them to Austin. The athletes and coaches loved the scarves and felt the love that went into every stitch. Thank you.

Volunteers, including dozens of area law enforcement officers, made the Opening Ceremonies a special event for each of the teams who traveled to the Austin area. Thank you.

Winter Games 2012 included three bowling venues Friday through Sunday and featured solo bowlers, team bowlers, Unified Bowlers and ramp bowlers. Each of our athletes received assistance and attention from our volunteers. Thank you.

Powerlifiting athletes were spotted and assisted by volunteers with special knowledge of powerlifiting...and others who knew nothing about it but enjoyed giving encouragement. Thank you.

Volunteers at the volleyball venue did a little bit of everything. Thank you.

At the Figure Skating venue, volunteers endured freezing (literally!) temperatures to encourage the skaters. Thank you.

At Athlete Village and Wellness Park, volunteers made sure that the athletes had a fun and relaxing time away from the competition. They supervised games and crafts and ran the extremely popular karaoke machine. NASA employees traveled from Houston to talk with athletes about the importance of fitness and nutrition, and they brought with them an astronaut who spent a lot of time with athletes, graciously posing for photos and signing autographs. Thank you.

At the Victory Dance, volunteers danced with the athletes and made sure everyone had a great time. Thank you.

Behind the scenes, volunteers prepared tasty food for staff, volunteers and some athletes throughout the games. Thank you.

Volunteers helped staff the merchandise tables, making sure that visitors to the games were able to purchase and take home something special to remind them of this special time. Thank you.

Area Spring Games and statewide Summer Games are coming soon. Please see our website for info on getting involved! http://www.sotx.org/get-involved/volunteer/

And, once again, thank you. We couldn't do any of this without you.