Over 700 Special Olympics New Jersey (SONJ) athletes and Unified partners, joined by hundreds of coaches, volunteers, family members, friends, and spectators, participated in the 2024 Special Olympics New Jersey Fall Games October 19-20. SONJ athletes across the Garden State were hard at work over the past few months training in Cycling, Equestrian, Flag Football, Golf, and Soccer.
Golf started the day at Mountain View Golf Course where athletes played with Unified partners.
Flag Football and Soccer took place at multiple fields across Mercer County Park where 8 soccer fields and 2 flag football fields were all in use with awards following.
Special Olympics New Jersey also hosted a MedFest medical screening event for athletes. This took place on the new SONJ Mobile Health Vehicle which was designed for multiple health-related tasks. There were also performance stations for athletes to stretch and stay loose.
Young Athletes had two sessions scheduled for outdoor play Mercer County Park. In total there were 40 Young Athletes. Activity stations for both sessions included obstacle courses, balance bike rides, soccer and flag football skills, plus mini golf. Each athlete had the opportunity to collect stickers on their Activity Sticker Map at each station when completed. All stations were led by general volunteers, Young Athletes Coaches and Committee Members, and Rutgers University PT students.
Fall Games cycling took place at Skillman Park where athletes competed in multiple events while taking in the beautiful scenery of the fall trees. Awards followed shortly afterwards.
On Sunday, the Unified Cup Soccer tournament was held at Mercer County Park. This included over 200 athletes and Unified partners from 18 schools, including one new high school school competing for the first time!
Last but not least, Equestrian videos were submitted and judged remotely. They had virtual awards presentations.
None of this could have been done without 300+ registered volunteers at all three locations, and we thank you all! Overall, the 2024 Fall Games was a huge success for Special Olympics New Jersey. So many familiar faces were back on the fields and courses, from athletes, to Unified partners, volunteers, families, and supporters. The countless hours put into training and preparing truly paid off in endless smiles, tears of joy, and a lot of medals!
2024 Fall Games Results
2024 Fall Games Photos
@specialolympicsnj Here are a few of our favorite sights and sounds from the 2024 Fall Games🍁🏅🎃 #sonj #specialolympics #sonjfallgames #asmr #autumn #fallvibes #newjersey #sounds ♬ original sound – SONJ
Interested in soccer or horse riding classes for my daughter.
Hello Ivona,
To best find a program in your area you can search by your county here. The guidelines on how to become an athlete may also be of help in determining your next steps.
Have a wonderful day!