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Beyond the Finish Line
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May 25, 2023
Check out our 2023 Summer Games Photo Gallery! The 2023 Summer Games were a tremendous success! Held May 18-21, 2023 at Morgan's Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas, thousands of athletes gathered to compete, forge friendships, and make memories that...
March 09, 2023
Special Olympics Texas athletes and staff from across the state were invited to travel to the State Capitol in Austin on March 8th, 2023, to serve as advocates and visit with lawmakers and their staff about the significant consequences that arise...
February 24, 2023
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL OF OUR WINTER GAMES 2023 PHOTOS! Winter Games occurred on February 17-19, 2023, in the beautiful cities of Bee Cave and Lakeway, Texas. Special Olympics Texas returned for the second year and held competitions in five different ...
February 01, 2023
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL OUR 2023 STATE CHEERLEADING PHOTOS! The National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) High School Nationals were held on the weekend of January 21-22, 2023, in Dallas, Texas. Special Olympics Texas had eight teams perform on the stage...
December 14, 2022
Special Olympics Texas Winter Games 2023 Press Conference was held at Sonesta Bee Cave Hotel on Tuesday, December 13th, 2022, from 10:00-11:00 am. The event was emceed by Mark Calaway, better known as “the Undertaker,” and his wife, Michelle ...
October 19, 2022
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL OF OUR FALL CLASSIC PHOTOS! Fall Classic 2022 occurred on October 6-8, 2022 in Bryan/College Station, Texas. Sports competitions in bocce, softball, golf, and swimming occurred throughout the weekend-long event. Fall Classic ...
September 19, 2022
Special Olympics is celebrating the 2022 Global Golisano Health Leadership Award Recipients on Monday, September 19th! In 2011, Paychex founder, Tom Golisano announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) that he would donate $12 million to help ...
August 02, 2022
Special Olympics Texas would like the highlight and feature Area 11 Program Director Everett King! Area 11 Program Director Everett King has been a Special Olympics Texas staff member for three and a half years and served as a coach for eight ...
July 20, 2022
On Tuesday, July 19th, 2022, the Dallas Wings WNBA team hosted a Unified Game consisting of athletes from Areas 10 and 11! The Dallas Wings players served as coaches and referees for each team, with the rest of the team serving as “cheerleaders” ...
June 22, 2022
Special Olympics Texas wanted to highlight LETR member and treasured friend, Officer Shane Jennings! We invite all of our followers to read more about Shane and his involvement with SOTX as he has been an incredible addition to the SOTX family over ...
June 15, 2022
Special Olympics Texas wanted to thank and highlight SOTX staff member, Chad Eason for his dedication to SOTX's athletes and mission. Chad Eason is Special Olympics Texas' Senior Director of Competitions and Games. He has been a part of the SOTX ...
May 20, 2022
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL OF OUR SUMMER GAMES PHOTOS. The 2022 Special Olympics Texas Summer Games took place on May 12-15th, 2022 at Morgan's Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas. Sports competitions in track and field, cycling, soccer, and tennis occurred ...
April 06, 2022
Through Jersey Mike’s Month of Giving campaign, they have been able to raise $20 million in support of the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games and Special Olympics State Programs. Jersey Mike’s partnered with Special Olympics to help raise funds for ...
April 01, 2022
Special Olympics Texas was honored to be involved with the Retirement Celebration for officer Doug Sisk as he was recognized for his 35 years of service to the Duncanville Police Department. The City of Duncanville also declared Thursday, March 31st...
March 29, 2022
Special Olympics athlete Riane Deaton has become an official health messenger for SOTX Healthy Athletes. Riane serves as an advocate for other athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities on the importance of positive health ...
March 08, 2022
This past weekend, March 4-6, 2022, Special Olympics Team Texas held their Training Camp at Morgan’s Wonderland Camp in San Antonio, Texas. This was the first time for many athletes to experience camping while also interacting with their coaches ...
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February 24, 2022
Special Olympics Texas wanted to highlight some of our wonderful athletes from the Winter Games! We would like to introduce ten of our athletes from across Texas and share their inspiring stories. Brennan O’Donnell, Allen Setters Sweet Brennan ...
February 07, 2022
Special Olympics Texas hosted the 2022 Regional Bowling competition this past weekend in Texas City and Houston. The athletes were able to compete in a high-energy environment surrounded by their coaches and teammates. Although every team, ...
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January 25, 2022
Cheerleading coach and Special Olympic Texas employee Shauna Radke relives the emotional experience of watching three cheerleading teams compete under bright lights at the NCA High School Nationals competition. On the weekend of January 22-23rd,...
December 08, 2021
Welcoming the 2022 Winter Games to Lakeway and Bee Cave Special Olympics Texas’ (SOTX) 2022 Winter Games will be held February 18-20 and hosted for the first time in the cities of Bee Cave and Lakeway, officials and partners announced today at a ...
June 16, 2021
On Tuesday morning athletes, families, and LETR officers met at Morgan's Wonderland to celebrate some exciting news: Special Olympics Texas’ (SOTX) 2021 Summer Games will be held Sept. 19-22 and hosted by Morgan’s Wonderland! The four-day ...
April 12, 2021
"Our son, Benjamin, has always demonstrated a strong sportsman ability and a willingness to be engaged in any activity. At the early age of 5 he began to ride horses and after only 3 lessons, he was riding tall in the saddle. As he grew, we engaged...
April 06, 2021
Meet Arlington PD's new Chief!
February 16, 2021
Meet Celina! Above: Celina, far right, pre-2020 Name: Celina Carrillo Age: 33 years old How long have you been involved with Special Olympics Texas? In the Special Olympics since 2003, with the Irving Rockets. What have you competed in or do ...
February 16, 2021
Genuine bonds and interactions are what makes our partnership with Norma’s Cafe special. Pam explained it by saying, “I like it when they come out and we all interact, it’s just fun. We are a family.” Bill said, “All of the SOTX athletes are just a pleasure and it lingers with you. You can’t be down about anything after Mark (SOTX athlete and Norma’s employee) smiles at you.”
February 09, 2021
Have you met CJ?! He's been an athlete with Special Olympics since he was 10 years old!
January 14, 2021
Support Special Olympics Texas by participating in the Virtual Polar Plunge!
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December 15, 2020
"We don’t do this to be recognized; we do this for the athletes like my son."
December 02, 2020
Safe walking and biking trails for athletes in the East Region
November 16, 2020
Name: Detective Loraine Franco Department: Galveston Police Department (GPD) Number of Years in Law Enforcement: 17 I was a patrol officer for fourteen years before being moved to the Crime Scene Unit where I processed crime scenes from ...
November 03, 2020
There's a new free neighborhood food pantry on the West Side of San Antonio, organized by 10-year-old SOTX Athlete Aeris McLeland.
November 03, 2020
Karina had positive interactions with the Student Resource Officers (SROs) and now, she is grateful for the opportunity to see them again and interact in a professional space because of her job. “My elementary, middle, and high school SROs are still here. School-wise, I was office aid. You see them on a different level and realize they are there to help the kids succeed. They’re cheering you on on the sidelines regardless of what you choose to do,” she said. Once she finishes nursing school, Karina wants to be an elementary school nurse.
October 26, 2020
Sergeant Ira Carter has known for a while that he needed to seek a career path that included service to others. “I always wanted to play sports and protect and serve. I wanted to give back to the community and show the community that there were any African American officers. Even though there’s a stigma about the job, we too can do it and do it well too... I love being able to bring awareness to things people don’t know about. My favorite is being able to help,” he said.
October 13, 2020
Coach Allen sets a high bar for Dylan through attainable goals and encouragement and is always there to give him a high five and cheer him on.
September 29, 2020
Speaking on Summer Games, Joe said "My group and I ran into the stadium, packed with people. There were hundreds of athletes there waiting to compete. They’re my superheroes,” he said with a grin. This experience was his favorite of all!
September 22, 2020
“I love my community. There’s no secret there. I’m blessed to work side by side with the best department. I appreciate SOTX athletes and families for sticking with us side by side.” - Chief Scesney
September 08, 2020
Athletes, “This is going to pass, and we are going to get back to normal. We all look forward to the day when we can get together. After a day of spending time with the you all, officers come back with smiles on their faces and more relaxed than before,” Salvaggio explains.
August 24, 2020
We got a chance to catch up with Commander Mirabelle of the Pflugerville PD! According to Mirabelle, “The pairing between Special Olympics athletes and officers is special because we see so much negativity on a day to day basis, but when we hang out with our athletes, they make us smile, they see all of the good in the world, and they turn our day around."
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July 30, 2020
SOTX Boots and Hats Day was held on July 28, supporting the Paper Torch Campaign at Cavender's stores around the state of Texas.
July 15, 2020
Click here to see all the photo submissions from this event! It was incredible to see all the athlete photo and video submissions from our first ever Virtual Summer Games! While we would have loved to have been together in person, this was a really...
June 16, 2020
SOTX Gives Back is an initiative by which SOTX staff get out into their local communities and help those in need!
May 05, 2020
The Special Olympics Texas tribute a fallen member of LETR.
March 26, 2020
Justin DuBose, a member of The Warriors of The Woodlands, has won 92 gold medals, 20 silver, and 11 bronze in SOTX competitions in the seven years that he has competed, mostly in athletics and aquatics. He swims the 400M freestyle, 200M backstroke, ...
March 25, 2020
Welcome to the Revolution. It's our all-new podcast - listen in!
January 24, 2020
Healthy LEAP (Lifestyle Education and Practice) is a series of health, nutrition, fitness, safety and injury prevention lessons and practical applications created specifically for youth and adults with and without intellectual disabilities.
December 23, 2019
Special thanks to Kit Flynn for the photography at this event!
November 25, 2019
The Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program is expanding across the state of Texas in 2020!
August 26, 2019
Thank you to The Hunt Family and FC Dallas for supporting the Unified Sports® Soccer Program at Special Olympics Texas! We wrapped up a great season this past Sunday, August 25th.
We would like to thank the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas for sponsoring both teams: And a thank-you to 76 for sponsoring Dynamo. Global Life and Advocare sponsored FC Dallas and the Hunt Family for their support of the MLS Unified Sports® Soccer team. We couldn't make all this happen without you.
We will see you on the field!
August 05, 2019
The Mapping Journey Begins Shaun Linsey, an athlete with Special Olympics Texas, has begun mapping out every team in each area of Texas. He has put in countless hours to make this project happen and each individual map is so unique and impressive....
July 25, 2019
Athlete Spotlights Part Two MEET PAUL Paul Dunn is a joy to be around and is encouraging to all. Being an athlete for over 25 years, Paul is proud to have competed in ten sports. He loves a good jam session and you will absolutely see him on the ...
June 07, 2019
Today we are sharing an inspiring story on how the Unified Champion School program has transformed Creekview Elementary into a school that accepts and knows the children in the Special Education program by name. This program was given a head start ...
May 30, 2019
Breakfast of Champions was a success! Matt Bonner, broadcast analysis for Fox Sports Southwest and former player for the San Antonio Spurs, emceed the entire breakfast, and we had the privilege to hear three of our athletes share stories on how the Special Olympics has impacted their lives in tremendous ways.
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April 17, 2019
We had some serious star power last Sunday night in Georgetown. We must thank terrific and kind celebrities from the WWE, NFL and more who presented during our Made to Matter fundraiser this past Sunday in Georgetown, TX. Through heartfelt ...
December 05, 2018
Christi Roberts explains food allergies and the importance of understanding them.
November 26, 2018
A Special Olympics Unified Champion School has an inclusive school climate and exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement and respect for all members of the student body and staff. See who in Texas was honored...
July 25, 2018
It's with great sadness that we let everyone in our Special Olympics Texas family know that our great friend and longtime Law Enforcement Torch Run volunteer Brad Freis has passed away.
July 16, 2018
On May 24th at the Texas Rangers Game, LETR officers and SOTX athletes were joined by shortstop Elvis Andrus for a ceremonial Torch Run inside the stadium.
July 16, 2018
Innovation grants are grants awarded to support projects led by young people with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) to promote inclusion in their school and community.
June 05, 2018
As WWE celebrates its partnership with the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, WWE's first Universal Champion hangs out with inspirational Special Olympians.
May 23, 2018
An informational video series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
May 23, 2018
The last informational video in a series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
May 16, 2018
An informational video series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
May 09, 2018
An informational video series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
May 02, 2018
An informational video series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
April 25, 2018
An informational video series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
April 24, 2018
We need volunteers for the state Equestrian Competition in Bryan. Can you help?
April 24, 2018
The University of Texas has created a new post-secondary training program that includes people with intellectual disabilities. E4Texas provides a college experience at the University of Texas at Austin.
April 18, 2018
An informational video series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
April 11, 2018
An informational video series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
April 09, 2018
Tim Martin starts his first day as President & CEO of Special Olympics Texas today,
April 04, 2018
An informational video series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
March 28, 2018
An informational video series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
March 21, 2018
An informational video series leading up to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games that will tell you about Movbands, fitness, Fit-Five, hydration, and nutrition.
January 22, 2018
Know someone who'd enjoy Special Olympics Texas items? You can send them a gift certificate! http://shop.sotx.org/
January 22, 2018
Congratulations to Alamo Heights High School and Brady High School, which have been recognized as the first Unified Champion Schools in the state of Texas! Both schools received a gym banner that denotes their honor.
January 22, 2018
The Texas Bowling Centers Association is a big fan of Special Olympics Texas athletes. During January and February, many of their member centers will sell paper bowling pins to benefit SOTX! Be sure to thank them for their support.
January 22, 2018
Who will bring the gold home from Austin? We can't wait to see! Almost 2,600 athletes and Unified Partners will compete in bowling, volleyball and powerlifting. Here's where to find all the info you need before you hit the road...
December 05, 2017
Polar Plunges are busting out all over. Check the schedule to see when we'll be near you. Gather your friends, grab a costume & join the frostiest fundraiser in the state.
November 16, 2017
If you're in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this holiday season, you don't want to miss out on Enchant. Surrounded by millions of dazzling lights, the memories you make will last well beyond the holiday season.
November 16, 2017
Want to help our athletes become #SOunstoppable? Visit your local Finish Line or donate now to the Finish Line Youth Foundation!
November 16, 2017
Flag Football athletes from across the state will compete December 1-2 in San Antonio at the Flag Football Competition. Presenting Sponsor The Wash Tub welcomes athletes and their families to the sixth annual competition.
November 16, 2017
A group of athletes, families and volunteers will travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of the Texas Congressional Delegation in early 2018. Want to come with? Apply to join us! Deadline is December 1.
November 16, 2017
Did you know? Thanks to hard work by our friends at the Law Enforcement Torch Run and members of the Texas Legislature, you can donate to Special Olympics Texas when you register your car, truck, boat or motorcycle -- online, on the paper registration for
November 16, 2017
It's the most wonderful time of the year - the SOTX Black Friday Sale! Save 20% on your entire purchase from November 22-28. You can get shirts, accessories, outerwear and pins. This is the sale of the year"”don't miss it!
November 16, 2017
We're excited to announce the debut of the #SOTXSTRONG Challenge Coin! This special Challenge Coin commemorates the strength and bravery exhibited by all Special Olympics Texas athletes and families in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
October 11, 2017
SOTX staff and key volunteers have been preparing for months for Fall Classic and it's almost time! Before you leave for Bryan/College Station, check out the Fall Classic website for lots of important and helpful information.
October 11, 2017
If you've always wanted to rappel down the side of a tall building, this is your chance: Go Over the Edge with us in Houston or Dallas and get over whatever fears you may have - and show Special Olympics Texas athletes how much you care.
October 11, 2017
How about a fun run with the family? We've got several coming up over the next month: the Joey Cushman 5K in Arlington on October 28, the Super Hero Super Run in Waco on November 11 and the Run With The Heroes in Austin on November 19.
October 11, 2017
Our Meet in the Middle/Project Unify program has a new name: Unified Champion Schools. More...
October 11, 2017
Are you curious what it's like to visit members of Congress in Washington, D.C.? Want to help make a difference in the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities? Come with us to the Special Olympics Hill Day!
October 11, 2017
Save the date: On Saturday, October 21, head over to your local Red Robin Gourmet Hamburgers and Tip a Cop! The Law Enforcement Torch Run will have officers at 14 different locations statewide. Stop by at lunch or supper, say hi to our LETR officers and h
October 11, 2017
Did you know? We have an active Family Support Network that provides resources, opportunities and, of course, support to help you keep your athletes healthy, well-cared for and safe.
October 11, 2017
Hurricane Harvey devastated the Texas coastline, and we still feel the brunt of the storm's impact. Here are some tales of bravery and grace.
October 10, 2017
The Special Olympics Texas Board of Directors has started its search for a new President and CEO for SOTX, and will be accepting applications until November 3. If you know someone who meets the qualifications and would make a great leader for our organiza
September 12, 2017
So much has happened since Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Rockport on August 25 that it's difficult to process everything. But out of all the loss and devastation, one thing has been clear: Our athletes, families, volunteers, coaches and law enforcem
August 29, 2017
Many stories of bravery, hope and grace have already come out of the Coastal Bend, Houston and Golden Triangle in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and we'll doubtless hear about many more in the coming days.
August 23, 2017
Are you a Family member of an SOTX Athlete? Would you like to get connected with other SOTX families?
