RALEIGH — Nearly 1,800 athletes participated in this year’s 2019 North Carolina Special Olympic Summer games, and many Beaufort County participants placed highly amongst the rest of the state. The games concluded on June 2 after three days of competing.

The summer games began with an opening ceremony that commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 1999 Special Olympic World Games that were held in North Carolina at the PNC Arena in Raleigh. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper attended the event to congratulate the athletes on their accomplishments in the games this summer.

Since 1968, the organization has been using the power of sports to improve the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics of North Carolina (SONC) offers year-round training and competition in 19 Olympic-type sports on a local and state level as well as health and wellness to improve the health status of these athletes.

Almost 2,000 volunteers came out under the leadership of a Games Management Team. They came aboard to serve as scorekeepers, timers and had various other roles to help make the Summer Games successful.

Games such as athletics, bowling, gymnastics, powerlifting, swimming and volleyball were offered to athletes during the Summer Games.

A few Beaufort County athletes made their presence felt, coming away with plenty of hardware.

In swimming, the 2019 Special Olympic World Games in Abu-Dhabi participant, Jonathan Willis, medaled twice. He earned a bronze medal in the 50-yard freestyle, and came away with gold in the 25-yard backstroke. Willis finished fifth in the 25-yard freestyle.

Austin Ramirez obtained silver in the 50-yard freestyle, with fourth and fifth place finishes in the 25-yard backstroke and freestyle.

Jason Alligood medaled twice, garnering a gold medal in the 50-yard freestyle, silver in the 25-yard backstroke and placed fifth in the 25-yard freestyle.

There was also a lot of pin dropping from Beaufort County competitors. Bowlers Kelton Rydell Columbus, Howard Earl Wright, Frank Sadler, Robert Windley, Lacey Lynn Allen, Tara Reddick, Allen Brickhouse and Gary Newman all picked up medals from the events.

Columbus and Wright were paired together on a doubles team called “BC Men,” showing homage to their home county. Similarly, Sadler and Windley chose the team name “BC Spinners.” Both of their teams acquired bronze medals.

Allen and Reddick sported the name “Carolina Girls,” and achieved the gold medal in their doubles event, while Brickhouse and Newman’s team, the “Crabby Patties,” also earned the victory and secured the first-place gold medal.