Friendly competition and camaraderie roll at Special Olympics Knox/Waldo Bowling Tournament in Rockport
The group from Medomak Valley High School at the Nov. 17 Special Olympics Knox/Waldo Bowling Tournament. (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Jesse Dean (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Warren Nattress (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Alexus Wadsworth and a Panther (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Osiris Pendleton-Fortuna and Cyrus Theriaulit are best friends and go to Oceanside Middle School. Known as the Phoenix Boys, they made their own team and they had a blast, according to Liz Patten, Cyrus's mother. (Photo courtesy Liz Patten)
Noah Massicotte (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Oliver Adams (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Maddison York (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Khloe Flynn (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Khloe Flynn (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Oliver Adams (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Maddison York (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Oliver Adams (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Gary Simmons (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Maddison York and Khloe Flynn (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Alexus Wadsworth (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Oliver Adams (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Mina Hardman (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
Warren Nattress (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) 
(Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
The group from Medomak Valley High School at the Nov. 17 Special Olympics Knox/Waldo Bowling Tournament. (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Jesse Dean (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Warren Nattress (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Alexus Wadsworth and a Panther (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Osiris Pendleton-Fortuna and Cyrus Theriaulit are best friends and go to Oceanside Middle School. Known as the Phoenix Boys, they made their own team and they had a blast, according to Liz Patten, Cyrus's mother. (Photo courtesy Liz Patten)
Noah Massicotte (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Oliver Adams (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Maddison York (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Khloe Flynn (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Khloe Flynn (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Oliver Adams (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Maddison York (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Oliver Adams (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Gary Simmons (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Maddison York and Khloe Flynn (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Alexus Wadsworth (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Oliver Adams (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Mina Hardman (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
Warren Nattress (Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School)
(Photo courtesy Jennifer Daigle, Medomak Valley High School) On Monday, November 17, the Special Olympics Knox/Waldo Bowling Tournament took place at Oakland Park Lanes, in Rockport. Athletes are grouped into divisions by age group and score, with student and adult results. Place ribbons were awarded based on their division.
The Special Olympics has a long history dating back to the 1940s, when, according to the Special Olympics website, the P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation was established.
"The goals began as doing good works and later focused on how society cares for people with intellectual disabilities (then known as “mental retardation”) and to help identify and disseminate ways to prevent the causes of intellectual disability," the Special Olympics website said. "The foundation is the first of its kind to focus efforts on this neglected population."
The first International Special Olympics Summer Games were held at Soldier Field in Chicago in Juky 1968, a joint venture between the Kennedy Foundation and the Chicago Park District.
The tradition continues today, with more than four million athletes and one million coaches, and over 100,000 games and competitions every year. In Maine, the organization is based in Portland, with the goal of providing year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
"Those activities give them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship,' the Maine Chapter said.
The Nov. 17 Rockport event drew hundreds of adults and children. Here are their results:
Children
Adults
Schools
