Ross County Special Olympics traveled again this year to Columbus, Ohio to compete at the Special
Olympics Ohio State Summer Games from June 13 th to June 15 th . This is Special Olympics Ohio’s largest annual competition offering seven different sport competitions throughout the weekend. Our local program had 46 athletes competing at the event—18 athletes in athletics (track & field), 21 athletes in bowling, and 7 athletes in powerlifting. This year the event welcomed over 3,000 athletes, 88 local
community-based programs, 850 coaches, and approximately 1,000 volunteers over the three action-
filled days. This year’s event was a celebration for the 50 th anniversary of Special Olympics Ohio. We
want to thank The Pioneer Center / Ross County Board of DD and each of our 2025 sponsors for giving
us the opportunity to have this unforgettable experience.
Athletics was coached by Lori Graves and Noah Daniels, and their team finished the weekend with a
total of ten gold medals, five silver medals, and seven bronze medals. Athlete Jeanine Long, age 64
from Frankfort, received two gold medals in her assisted walking competition and softball throw. Our
4×100 relay team continues to reach new personal records, finishing the state competition with a time
of 59.54 seconds. The 4×100 relay members are Jamaine Barnhart, Timothy May, Andrew May, and
Dale Jr. Neff. A few of our athletes had the opportunity to be awarded their medals by Ohio Governor,
Mike DeWine.
Bowling was coached by Doug Blue, Richard Dillow, Josh Mankin, and Beth Little. Our bowlers finished
the State Games with a total of 4 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 4 bronze medals. Our gold
medalists were James Crowe, Conor McMahon, Victoria Burns, and Ginger Knedler.
Powerlifting was coached by Kevin Dearth, Joseph Palmer and Chris Hiles. Powerlifting athletes
compete in two lifts, bench press and deadlift. They are also awarded for the best overall performance
based on a Wilks score. Our team came away with four silver medals and six bronze medals. Athlete
David Horsley was able to complete a deadlift of 358 pounds for a personal record, and athlete, Noah
Hiles was able to complete a deadlift of 336 pounds for a personal record.
Special Olympics is a nonprofit organization that offers year-round training and competition in
Olympic-type sports for individuals with intellectual disabilities ages 8 and up. Our programming is only
possible through the support of volunteers, sponsors, and donors. If you would like to support your
Ross County Trailblazers, please contact Local Coordinator, Courtney Davis, at (740) 273-1219 or by
email at [email protected].
