Weekend's Special Olympics games to adjust with heat indexes

Organizers of the Special Olympics State Outdoor Championships will adjust their schedules and game rules to accommodate for this weekend's forecast.

With temperatures expected into the mid- to upper 90s throughout the weekend, staff will be watching heat indexes. If the index rises above 105 degrees, they will put a heat schedule in place, said Mandi Mueller, public relations coordinator with Special Olympics Missouri.

Currently, most games are scheduled during the morning, when the heat is not as severe.

Mueller said the decision has already been made to shorten the tennis matches so that athletes will play to a score of 7 points. The tennis competition will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the Southeast Missouri State University Tennis Complex.

Depending on forecasts for Saturday and Sunday, softball games may be shortened to 45 minutes. Games will begin at 7 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday at the Shawnee Park Sports Complex and should wrap up before noon to escape the midday heat, Mueller said.

"They'll also get more breaks, and we'll have plenty of cold rags and water and Gatorade for them to drink," said Penny Williams, a member of the local Special Olympic Games Management Team and recreation division manager for the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department.

Athletes will have a chance to cool down during the Victory Village celebration Saturday afternoon in the Osage Community Centre and also will get to visit Cape Splash Family Aquatic Center, Williams said.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3645

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