Southern Lanes hosts this year’s Special Olympics bowling tournament

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Southern Lanes in Bowling Green hosted the Special Olympics Kentucky Area 5 bowling tournament on Saturday, Oct. 3.

The tournament consisted of multiple different sections full of individual players who each competed. This sporting event is one of the many opportunities that Bowling Green Parks and Recreation holds for Special Olympic athletes. This event brings athletes and individuals from the community together for a day of competition and of fun. Adaptive recreation supervisor with Bowling Green Parks and Recreation, Madison Duncan, loves this event for the way it brings the community together.

“Yeah, I love the bowling tournament. It’s so special to be able to see them bowl. And you can, I stay up front and do awards. But to be able to hear them cheer from their lanes when they get a strike or if they win and then as they leave, they all show the award like, ‘oh my gosh, I got first place, I got, I got second, and I got this.’ And then just being able to see the joy that they have and bowling against their peers is really special,” says Duncan. 

The event is one of many to give everyone the opportunity to participate in sports no matter who they are.

“But just to be able to see that like hey, they enjoy the bowling. Then when we have basketball come in February, they enjoy playing basketball like they can do the same thing that everybody else can do. It might just be done a little differently or not how it typically is done. But they can do whatever everybody else can do,” says Duncan about the Special Olympic athletes. 

The winners from the event will move onto the state tournament in December. These events, however, can not be done without the help of community members. Anyone is able to help sign up and referee or set up these events. All you have to do is contact the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation office through their phone number at (270)-393-3484.