For the fourth year in a row, Nine13sports will be serving the athletes and families of the Special Olympics Summer Games in Terre Haute, Indiana on June 10th and 11th. For our staff and interns, this weekend has been marked on the calendar for quite some time now and always is a defining weekend for our organization as a whole. We take a great deal of pride and honor in serving the thousands of participants at the Games and the family members that are there to support them.
Truly inspiring to witness a blind athlete ride a bicycle for the 1st time at last years Summer Games.
The Summer Games is one of very few events that Nine13 donates our Kids Riding Bikes® programming to without hesitation or second thought. We’re believers and advocates that the bicycle is the ultimate equalizer and no where is that exemplified more than at the Special Olympics by the athletes. The passion, determination, and resiliency that the athletes display while not only on our bikes, but in life in general is truly inspirational. Furthermore, nothing is more heartwarming for our staff than to witness the athletes genuine enthusiasm and joy they experience while riding our bikes. As a matter of fact, we had the amazing experience of working with a Special Olympics athlete that was blind last year. He’d never been on a bike before but he’d heard his peers talk about them. We were able to deliver his very first experience on two wheels in a safe way. Our staff was beyond moved and humbled to have the privilege to play a role in that experience.
We’ll be stationed at The Athlete Village this Friday and Saturday in partnership with our friends at the Finish Line Youth Foundation. Finish Line and the Finish Line YF have been proud partners of the Special Olympics since 2012 and has an ongoing mission to celebrate the everyday achievements of athletes everywhere. If you’re in Terre Haute this weekend, make sure you stop by the Summer Games, get inspired by the athletes, and check out our booth!