David Johnston has many talents when it comes to playing sports. An athlete in several disciplines, Johnston, starting in 1988, competed in alpine skiing, five-pin bowling, snowshoeing, and many more; however, he says five-pin bowling and powerlifting are his “special sports.” “I got involved with Special Olympics when I was in school and I was put down all my life,” Johnston says about his start. “So, I found out about Special Olympics and how they accepted people and how we get the opportunity to compete.”
When Pleskow is not swimming in the Potomac River alongside her mom or running on the track, she can be found within the walls of Brightspot—a software development company just outside the nation’s capital in Reston, Virginia.
On a crisp and chilly Saturday morning at Peaks View Park in Lynchburg, Virginia, Special Olympics softball teams from across the United States and Canada joined together for the 2023 Special Olympics North America Softball Championship. Teams, both traditional and Unified, started in a round-robin format.
While playing college football at Bethel University, Jaran Roste discovered another passion: Special Olympics, leading him to become one of Special Olympics Minnesota's first student-athlete ambassadors.
Just hours ahead of the MLS All-Stars facing off against Arsenal, both teams are focused. After all, it’s their All-Star moment: the Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Game.
Throughout the Special Olympics North America Region, Programs are creating opportunities for Special Olympics athletes to find their voices and share their powerful stories.