Some of the best basketball, bocce, roller skating and tennis athletes in North Carolina arrived in Indian Trail on Friday for the 2018 Special Olympics North Carolina Fall Tournament.
This is the second year in a row that Indian Trail has served as a host to the state-wide competition, which brought more than 1,000 athletes in a number of sports to the Charlotte region. Tournaments for basketball, bocce and tennis were held at Chestnut Square Park and Carolina Courts, with the roller skating event being held at Indian Trail’s Kate’s Skate. Events took place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Indian Trail.
“It’s a huge honor for us to be able to provide this venue for such a great event,” Indian Trail Director of Communications Mike Parks said. “Watching these athletes play is such a joy, because every last one of them puts sportsmanship first. They are all rooting for each other to succeed and everyone is having a good time. We hope Special Olympics North Carolina calls Indian Trail home for a long time to come.”
In addition to the tournaments in Indian Trail, Special Olympics North Carolina athletes also competed in golf tournaments in Charlotte, and soccer tournaments in Matthews. Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte played host to the official Opening Ceremony on Friday night.
“Chestnut Square Park was an ideal location for our bocce and tennis skills competitions during the 2018 SONC Fall Tournament because it allowed us to have more than one sport at the location,” Keith L. Fishburne, President/CEO of Special Olympics North Carolina, said. “This creates a much more festive competition atmosphere for the athletes. Plus, we were able to use Carolina Courts for our basketball competition, so we actually had three sports in one location!”
Indian Trail staff attended the bocce and basketball tournaments on Friday and have pledged to work closely with Special Olympics North Carolina on any future event the organization would like to hold in Indian Trail. In addition to this growing partnership, the Town has recently added an all-inclusive playground at Crooked Creek Park, and purchased a water-proof wheelchair for residents to borrow when visiting the splashpad.
Indian Trail regularly provides venues for local festivals and events. To learn more about how to reserve a field, shelter, Town Hall meeting room or other such venue, visit www.indiantrail.org/410/Rentals.