Six Special Olympic Flag Football teams compete in Chattanooga Saturday
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Six Special Olympic Flag Football teams competed Saturday in Chattanooga..
The teams are divided into Traditional Teams, which consisted of athletes with special needs.
They also had Unified Teams, which consisted of Special Olympics athletes playing alongside “partners” or players without disabilities.
I spoke with Beth Webb who works for the special olympics region that included 10 counties around Chattanooga, and some in Georgia.
She says it is important for the groups to have this opportunity to play.
Webb says, “I could literally tear up and cry about it every time I talk about it because it’s just so empowering to see these kids have something that they really work towards and something that they achieve. Whether they win or lose, they had a chance to compete and it was a legitimate competition.”
They also dedicated the field, and named it the Smith-Summers Field.
The name reflects the legacy of two local supporters of the Special Olympics.
I met Andrew Williams at the Special Olympics Football Tournament held at @orangegrovectr. We talked about why he has been participating for more than 10 years. @wdefnews12 pic.twitter.com/ctWq2bSsa3
— Amber Worthy (@AWorthyNews) September 30, 2018
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