- Special School District of St. Louis County
- District News
Staying on Track
March 12, 2021 – It’s been about a year since seemingly everything came to a stop. With the emergence and rapid spread of COVID-19, many of our daily routines were disrupted—schools closed and many sports competitions came to an end. Since that time, everyone has been finding unique and creative ways to keep going. Special Olympics athletes and coaches are no different, and they found a way to host a track and field competition, all while keeping their distance.
SSD Special Olympics Facilitator Kerrie Townsend worked with coaches around the county to host the virtual meet throughout the month of February. Athletes participated in a virtual opening ceremony session—reciting the athlete’s oath, singing the national anthem and completing a torch run—and then set off with their coaches to complete their events in their own classes.
A total of 167 athletes at 20 different schools participated in the virtual track and field competition. Coaches submitted results from each of their athletes and after the virtual closing ceremony, coaches handed out ribbons to participants in their schools.