Welcome to Special Olympics Mecklenburg County!
Special Olympics Mecklenburg County offers community-based and school-based programs to more than 3,350 athletes participating in 19 sports, including Unified sports. Over 2,000 community volunteers help with the year-round sports programming, serving as coaches, event staff and/or general volunteers.
Special Olympics Mecklenburg County offers year-round training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports.
- Fall sports
- Bocce
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Unified Flag Football
- Winter Sports
- Alpine skiing
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cheerleading
- Ice Skating
- Snowboarding
- Spring Sports
- Athletics (track and field)
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Gymnastics
- Powerlifting
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Unified Soccer
- Volleyball
Spring Games
Coming soon!
Fall Games
If you have any questions about local games, please contact Jamey Petrucci.
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools bring youth with and without intellectual disabilities together through sports and education to create school communities of acceptance and respect. Unified Champion Schools are seen through every level of education (Pre-K/Head Start through college) and are driven by youth and staff leaders.
Are you interested in having a Special Olympics athlete at your event or meeting? There are two Athlete Leadership roles that you can request!
Global Messengers
Global Messengers are Special Olympics athletes who have been trained in public speaking to serve as ambassadors for the organization. They can recruit potential athletes, volunteers and sponsors through public presentations.
Athlete Ambassadors
Athlete Ambassadors are representatives for Special Olympics North Carolina at functions that often have businesses or individuals that have donated money, food, etc. to Special Olympics NC and this is a way to thank them. Ambassadors are able to say thank you and show our appreciation while at events.
To schedule a Global Messenger or Athlete Ambassador appearance, please contact the local coordinator.
Since athletes never pay a fee to participate in Special Olympics, donations and sponsorships allow our program to purchase seasonal sport equipment, pay facility rental fees, purchase uniforms, and pay for travel (hotels, competition registration fees, etc.). Contact us if you are interested in being a sponsor of our program. We would love your support!
Camp SOAR (Special Olympics Athlete Retreat) is an exciting week that encourages current Special Olympics athletes ages 12+ to try new sports and recruit new athletes to participate in Special Olympics. The camp also features activities such as bingo, arts and crafts, dances and a talent show. Learn more here.
Registration for the 2024 Camp SOAR will be available mid-March.
- Special Olympics Mecklenburg County Community-Based Family Guide
- APE Lesson Plan Ideas for Track and Field
- APE Lesson Plan Ideas for Softball Skills
- APE Lesson Plan Ideas for Soccer Skills
- APE Lesson Plan Ideas for Individual Basketball Skills
- APE Lesson Plan Ideas for Bocce
- Cue Words and Concepts for Bocce
- Motor Activities Training Program (MATP) Guiding Document
- Competition and Training Notebook (General Information)
- Developmental Bowling Tutorial
- MATP description
- Track and Field Description
- Softball Skills Description

Volunteer in Mecklenburg County!
Volunteers are the foundation of Special Olympics Mecklenburg County, making all that we do possible! We are currently looking for volunteer coaches, local competition event volunteers, sponsors and more!
If you are interested in coaching with Special Olympics Mecklenburg County, please contact us.
Get in touch with us!
Local Program Coordinator
Jamey Petrucci
704-358-1935 ext. 162
Email: mecklenburg@sonc.net
Community Resource Director – West
Courtney Gibson
919-719-7662 ext. 106
VP of Community Resources
Lindsay Waldron
704-358-1935 x161