42 high school teams to come together & compete
Submitted
Special Olympics Indiana will hold the 10th annual Champions Together Unified Bowling State Tournament on Saturday, March 14, at Western Bowl.
An Opening Ceremony at 12:50 p.m. leads into the start of competition at 1 p.m.
Forty-two high school teams from across Indiana will compete in a five-player Baker format with at least two students being Special Olympics athletes, and two being Unified partners. Each school fields three teams of five, who will bowl five games during the tournament.
There are two divisions. The High School Division includes teams where all competitors are students at the same school. The Open Division includes teams that include athletes who do not attend the high school or already graduated from that high school.
The state champion is determined by a combined score from all three teams.
Teams qualified through sectional events held in February throughout the state. Local schools advancing to the state tournament include:
- Carmel
- Fishers
- Hamilton Heights
- Hamilton Southeastern
- Noblesville
- Westfield
“When students with and without intellectual disabilities compete together in the Unified Bowling State Championship, it’s about so much more than sport,” Special Olympics Indiana Senior Director of Unified Champion Schools Mike Hasch said. “It’s about connection, respect, and breaking down barriers. On the lanes, students learn from one another, build genuine friendships and experience firsthand what inclusion looks like in action. That shared competition transforms school culture and elevates everyone involved.”
More than 600 Indiana schools participate in the Unified Champion Schools program – from elementary age to college. Special Olympics partners with the IHSAA for Unified state tournaments in flag football and track and field. Special Olympics also hosts state tournaments for Bocce and Cornhole.
About Special Olympics Indiana
Special Olympics Indiana is a nonprofit organization that is part of the global Special Olympics movement, created by the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation for the benefit of persons with intellectual disabilities. Its vision is an inclusive world, driven by the power of sport, through which people with intellectual disabilities live active, healthy, and fulfilling lives.
