Cornhole team: Left to right, Shad Grimsley, Jake Rust, Mariah Langer, Ronnie and Esther Simmons, Tanisha Pruit, Lydia Delay, Melody Nilson, Brian McCavitt, and Troy Pruit.
THE GORGE — Oregon Special Olympics (SOOR) added Cornhole as a new winter sport this year. Hood River Special Olympics answered the call by fielding four 2-person teams. Eight weeks of practice culminated in a regional competition on April 12 at the Milwaukie Community Center.
Seven counties sent teams, including Clackamas, Clatsop, Hood River, Multnomah, Union, Wasco/Sherman, and Washington. A total of 88 athletes competed.Â
Teams were separated into divisions based on their performance assessments during practice. Each Hood River team competed against three other teams in their Division.Â
Some background: This year, Special Olympics Oregon set two less-than-standard distances of 15 and 21 feet to make this game more accessible to a wider range of abilities. Hood River fielded one 21-foot team and three 15-foot teams. Next year, we expect to include the standard 27-foot distance.
Cornhole team: Left to right, Shad Grimsley, Jake Rust, Mariah Langer, Ronnie and Esther Simmons, Tanisha Pruit, Lydia Delay, Melody Nilson, Brian McCavitt, and Troy Pruit.
Contributed photo
Hood River Special Olympics would like to give a big thank you to our very motivated athletes — Tanisha Pruit, Shad Grimsley, Esther Simmons, Mariah Langer, Lydia Delay, Melody Nilson, Dawson Beneventi, Jose Marquez; and our dedicated coaching team — Brian McCavitt, Tiffany and Troy Pruit, Jake and Hannah Rust, and Mike Nilson. A special thanks to Joe Petshow and Horizon School for supporting our practice sessions.
Now that the winter season has wrapped up, Spring sports are starting:Â Bocce, Golf, and Athletics (Track & Field).
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