SONC

Special Olympics North Carolina

Home | Sports and Competitions | USA Games

USA Games

View the photo gallery
See the results

Every four years, Special Olympics holds a national competition for Special Olympics athletes across the United States. The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games will be held June 20-26, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In advance of each USA Games, Special Olympics North Carolina athletes, Unified partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities who train and compete alongside Special Olympics athletes) and coaches are selected to comprise the Special Olympics North Carolina delegation.

Special Olympics North Carolina uses the advancement criteria set forth by Special Olympics, Inc. to select the athletes who are a part of Team SONC.  Gold medal winners from all ability level divisions will be put into a random drawing in order to be selected for participation in the Games.

MEET THE TEAM

Stay tuned for the 2026 Team Special Olympics North Carolina delegation!

Keep up to date with Team SONC!

TEAM SONC STORIES AND NEWS

  • A Picture is Worth a Thousand Medals

    Since he was 5 years old, Special Olympics Wilkes County athlete Ke’Shaun Tillman has been hitting the track and earning awards at Special Olympics athletics events. More recently, medals aren’t all he is bringing back from competitions. Tillman left the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games with three medals, lots of memories, and even more photographs. The […]

  • Healthy as a Horse

    Special Olympics Durham County athlete Leah Glazer has earned quite the list of accolades in her 10 years competing with Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC). Among the list, there are three gold medals from the 2019 SONC Equestrian Tournament and a gold medal in advanced tumbling at the 2019 SONC Cheerleading Competition. To ensure an […]

  • Medal for Honor

    To date, the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games is the largest humanitarian event ever held in the state of Florida. With over 4,000 athletes, 10,000 volunteers and 125,000 spectators in attendance, the absence of one made all the difference to Special Olympics Davidson County equestrian athlete Justin Branham. Representing Team Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) […]

  • Triple Bogey

    Vince, Vince Jr. and Chris Powierski share much more than their affiliation with Team Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) in attending the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games. In June, Vince coached his two sons, Unified partner Vince Jr. and Special Olympics Moore County athlete Chris Powierski in Unified golf. Celebrating as a team and as […]

  • Special Olympics North Carolina celebrates sendoff for 2022 Special Olympics USA Games athletes in Raleigh June 4

    Team Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) will travel to Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, June 4 to compete at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, hosted June 5-12. Delegation members will depart in two phases. The first phase is part of the 2022 Special Olympics Airlift, provided by Textron Aviation. The first flight is scheduled to […]

  • What Counts

    Special Olympics Wake County athlete Judy Nutter is exceptional in her ability to recall specific dates. A friend from high school? She knows their birthdate – the day, month, and year. Her first day as an employee of Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC)? She can recall that too. This year, she will remember the dates […]

  • Righthand Man

    According to Special Olympics Davidson County athlete Will Gaddis’ mother Cindy, he has always been fast. Recognizing that talent at a young age, Cindy searched for a place where Will could be supported, could feel at home. Five years ago, they found Special Olympics. “Let’s go where they all understand him – Special Olympics,” said […]

  • Celebrity Status

    “I am very excited.” Special Olympics Cherokee County athlete Shakaela Sudderth has every reason to be excited. Competing in athletics, Shakaela will represent Team Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida, held June 5-12. In all she does, Shakaela radiates positivity, a quality she will be channeling […]

  • Chosen

    “I always wanted to find things for him to do. Even when he was in school, he wanted to play basketball, he just never got chosen. I’m just excited for him to be a part of this team.” Barbara Bynum is a proud Special Olympics Pitt County mom. This year, her son Dearius Bynum was […]

  • The Beast from the East

    “We’re going to start at the beginning, how does that sound? We initially started with Special Olympics when we lived in Maryland and we started with cycling, so Katie was learning how to cycle. We ended up doing that for multiple years. From that, we started evolving into softball.” Special Olympics Brunswick County volunteer and […]

  • Taking Flight

    At the start of the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida, Special Olympics Cabarrus County athlete Kelsey Leyton will be among the first athletes to arrive. On Saturday, June 4, she will arrive via Coca-Cola Consolidated’s Citation XLS+, an aircraft provided by Textron Aviation. As the first business jet to land at Orlando […]

  • Horse Talk

    Being on a team means being able to trust one’s teammates. For Special Olympics Durham County athlete Nathan Klein, that teammate is a horse. This summer, Klein will represent Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) at the Special Olympics USA Games, held June 5-12, in Orlando, Florida. Klein, competing in equestrian, is one of 75 Team […]

  • Special Olympics North Carolina hosts training camp in Raleigh ahead of 2022 Special Olympics USA Games Feb. 25-27

    Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) is proud to announce the selection of 75 athletes and Unified partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities) and 19 coaches to represent the state at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games. Team Special Olympics North Carolina will compete in nine sports at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida, […]

MAIN MENU