Special Olympics Washington is hosting two regional competitions April 23-24 at the King County Aquatic Center and are still in need of approximately 100 volunteers each day.

On Saturday, April 23, athletes from the northwest region of the state (King County north to the Canadian border) will compete in a variety of swimming races. Then on Sunday, April 24, athletes from the southwest region (Pierce County south to the Oregon border) get their chance to shine.

Approximately 400 athletes are expected to compete over the course of the weekend.

Volunteering at this weekend’s aquatic events is a great opportunity for families to volunteer together or for high schoolers to get their service hours in. The minimum age to volunteer is 11 (youth ages 11-13 must volunteer with an adult), and teens ages 14-17 may volunteer on their own but in select roles. Volunteers do not need to know anything about swimming but for those with coaching or officiating experience, officials are in high demand.

Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to pre-register at SpecialOlympicsWashington.org/volunteer/event-volunteers/.

These competitions are qualifying events for the State Spring Games from June 17-19, which will be Special Olympics Washington’s first state games since the start of the pandemic.

More than 2,000 athletes, Unified partners, and coaches from across the state are expected to compete at the State Spring Games.

For more information on volunteering at this weekend’s events or other upcoming events, visit our website or contact Susan Greenwood, Special Olympics Washington’s program coordinator for volunteers, at sgreenwood@sowa.org.