Congrats to Ray-Pec Special Olympic athletes, who competed at the State Basketball Tournament in St. Charles, March 28-29, 2025. Teams had to qualify by placing 1st or 2nd at the Regional Tournament in St. Joseph. All five Ray-Pec teams qualified for the state tournament and performed well! Each photo lists the results and member names for each team.

Congratulations to the Ray-Pec Special Olympics basketball teams on a great performance at the Area Basketball Tournament on Jan. 18, 2025, in Belton! Ray-Pec teams brought home 4 silver medals, and Mia Benson won a gold medal in the wheelchair skills competition.

Athletes, volunteers, and coaches will compete at the Regional Tournament on March 1 in St. Joseph to try to qualify for the State Tournament on March 29 in St. Charles.

Thanks to Coaches Cara Hornbeck, Lora Kurzweil, Aaron Howlett, Catie Howlett, and Emma Howlett.

The Board recognized the Special Olympics basketball teams for success at the state tournament last month in St. Louis. The teams brought home two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal. Two Ray-Pec Unified Partner 3-on-3 teams ended up playing each other for medals in the finals.

Gold medalists:

• Mia Benson won the gold medal in Individual Wheelchair Skills. (Teacher Emma Howlett was Mia's coach.)

• 3-on-3 Team: BreAunna Ruiz, Trey Gethers, Elijah George, and Caleb Nelson. Patron Aaron Howlett coached the yellow team. 

Silver medalists:

• Team: Shawn Hunt, Dustin Haning, Ryan Hilliard (Unified Partner), J'Qwan Blackmon, and Jag Davis. Teacher Cara Hornbeck coached this team.

• Team: Phoebe Benson (Unified Partner), Emery Vaughan (Unified Partner), Kendalynn Torrance, Liam Lambertz, Owen Vanzandt, and Owen Vaughan. Teacher Catie Howlett coached this team.

Bronze medalists:

Team members: Mallory Anderson, Sabrina Peek, Carter Nussbeck, and Grant Hornbeck (Unified Partner). Teacher Lora Kurzweil coached this team.

Special Olympic Missouri’s mission is “to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community” (somo.org). 

At Ray-Pec, Special Olympics is a place for student athletes to come together to practice, play, and compete with other athletes and unified partners. We offer three sports: bowling in the fall, basketball in the winter, and track and field in the spring. Athletes can choose to participate in any or all of these sports! There are different levels of competition, and all students who meet the requirements are welcome!  

Volunteers are an important part of Special Olympics because they help the athletes feel successful and are a positive role model. Volunteers help out and participate in practices. They do not have to be amazing at or know everything about the sport that they are helping with. At meets or tournaments, volunteers can just come to cheer, help work the event, or participate in the sport as a Unified Partner.

Unified Partners are volunteers that help out and compete with the athletes. In bowling, they partner bowl with one of the athletes and compete against other athletes and their unified partner. In basketball they may compete in a 3 on 3 half-court team against another 3 on 3 team. They make sure the athletes are involved in the game and give them passes to allow them to shoot. In track and field, they can be on a relay team with the athletes.

Ray-Pec has three SOMO coaches. If you are interested in joining as an athlete, unified partner, or volunteer they would love to talk with you and answer any questions you may have! 

• Cara Hornbeck (High School) : cara.hornbeck@raypec.org

• Catie Howlett (Middle School Teacher) : catie.howlett@raypec.org

• Emma Howlett (Elementary Teacher): emma.howlett@raypec.org

Forms:

• Athlete Physical Form

• Athlete Release Form

• Minor Volunteer Form

• Unified Partner Form

(Repeat each line after a leader speaks)

Let me win,
But if I cannot win,
Let me be brave in the attempt.