Special Olympics New York highlights unified Bocce teams

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Nearly 1,000 Special Olympics New York athletes competed in seven sports, including bocce, cycling, cross country running, golf, soccer, softball, and equestrian, for the Special Olympics New York. The state fall games competition took place in Warren and Saratoga counties on Saturday.

The Special Olympics New York is the largest state chapter in the country, and athletes came from as far as Buffalo and Long Island to compete for the gold. Kathleen Dimonaco, Special Olympics volunteer and employee at SPARC Inc, said the winner of the games will head on to the next round within the Special Olympics.

“It’s really like a regular sports competition, so there is local competitions, regional competitions,” Dimonaco said. “If you win in your regional competition, you qualify for states. Then, if you are in states and you qualify, you can qualify for nationals. And there is also international games, so it really is like the real Olympics.”

Kayla Mckeon is a member of the Unified Onondaga Bocce Team and has been playing Bocce for 22 years. She has also previously traveled for the Special Olympics and said it is something she said she looks forward to.

“I went to Athens, Greece In 2011, and Florida in the 2022 summer games,” Mckeon said.

The Special Olympics also partners with more than 300 schools statewide to offer unified sports, where students with and without disabilities compete as teammates. All Special Olympics New York programs are offered at no cost to athletes, their families or caregivers. In the Capital Region, it has gained popularity in some schools, including Glens Falls.