Mountaineer volunteers made an impact at the 2018 Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) Watauga County Sports Expo last week. Appalachian State University students and alumni helped plan and operate the annual event, held by Watauga County Parks and Recreation to provide an opportunity for members of the special needs community to try out new sports and explore the Special Olympics program.
The expo was held at the Old Cove Creek School Gym in Sugar Grove. Ninety individuals participated in the event, including those who are in classes offered by the Watauga County Exceptional Children Department at Hardin Park Elementary and Watauga High School, and adult members of the Watauga County special needs community.
Appalachian alumna Keron Poteat ’95, coordinator of Special Olympics Watauga County, oversaw the expo.
Appalachian alumna Keron Poteat ’95, coordinator of Special Olympics Watauga County, oversaw the expo.
Participants were divided into age groups and rotated among five sports stations:
- Flag football, led by Josh Murphy, an Appalachian junior majoring in recreation management.
- Bocce, led by A.J. Golz, an Appalachian junior majoring in recreation management.
- Tennis, led by Kylie Palmer, an Appalachian junior majoring in recreation management.
- “Cardio Groove,” led by Amber Hendley, director of High Country Dance Studio.
- Stretching, led by former Appalachian athletics director and retired health and science professor Roachel Laney.
At each station, station leaders explained basic rules and engaged the participants through warmup exercises and activities to teach skills involved in the sport.
