This fall, students from the ODED 3530 Program Planning class volunteered their Saturday at the Special Olympics State Invitational Kayaking Competition. This event brought approximately eighty athletes from across the state to Lake Tobesofkee in Macon for a day of fun, fellowship, and competition.

Sophie Conerly, a senior Outdoor Education major said, “After working with Special Olympics for nine years previous to college, it was such an amazing opportunity to be able to work with all the athletes, partners, and coaches again. The passion that everyone has for these events is incredible. Along with being able to volunteer with the competition, I gained more knowledge on how to efficiently execute a program of similar style.”

This experience allowed the students to gain insight into the logistics and management of a large event. Over the rest of the semester, students will use this experience to design an implementation and coaching plan for other Special Olympics groups who might want to initiate a new program. Plans are underway to pilot the program over the next year with Special Olympics athletes here in Baldwin County.

Pictured along with Special Olympics athletes and volunteers from the event are Georgia College students Sophie Conerly, Caroline Jones, Hannah Kate Mulanax, and Gigi Nicholl and Dr. Jeff Turner, the instructor for the course.