Special Olympics

Last weekend 636 athletes and 170 coaches, along with a number of family members, were in Cape Girardeau for the Special Olympics Missouri 2011 State Outdoor Championships. Thanks to the participants, organizers and almost 400 volunteers this year's event was a great success.

In addition to competing in golf, tennis and softball, athletes and families had a chance to enjoy some of Cape Girardeau's amenities while in town, including an afternoon at Cape Splash. Bingo, dinner and dance and fun at Victory Village held at the Osage Centre were among some of the other activities the athletes participated in over the weekend.

Missouri is proud to have had six special Olympians recently participate and receive a medal at the Special Olympics world competition in Athens, Greece. Four of the six competitors participated in last weekend's games in Cape Girardeau.

Though this year's contest is over, organizers are already planning for next year's games. The organization will consolidate what is now four statewide competitions to two. This means that when Cape Girardeau hosts the competition next year -- likely to be held in mid-October -- instead of three events, six events will be held. The increase in the number of events is anticipated to draw about 1,000 athletes.

While certainly the events are about the athletes, anytime Cape Girardeau can play host to such a grand event our local economy benefits. Chuck Martin, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, said before the weekend competition that he expected the Special Olympics competition to have a total economic impact of $440,000.

Thank you to all the athletes, organizers, supporters and volunteers for a tremendous weekend. We look forward to next year's games.