The 2024 Emporia State University Special Athletics Track and Field Day Friday will go down as the largest to date.
This was the fourth installment of the event since 2019 and the third since the COVID-19 pandemic led to a brief hiatus between 2020 and 2021. Despite the short layoff, the event has continued to grow in participation every year steadily.
For perspective, the inaugural event had right around 70 participants while Friday saw nearly 300 special needs athletes converge on Welch Stadium to participate in several running, jumping and throwing events. Organizer and ESU Assistant Professor of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Dr. Hannah Kipfer says seeing how much “word of mouth” has done for the event in such a short time is amazing.
According to Kipfer, participants came from as far as Eudora within the state of Kansas with one competitor traveling in from Pennsylvania to compete. The Pennsylvanian, Ully Kipfer is Hannah Kipfer’s brother and she says having him participating in this year’s event was an awesome sight to see.
When asked what her hopes for the future are as it pertains to the event, Kipfer says “The sky is the limit” noting that it will require continued support from the community, something the event has received in spades over the past few years.
In addition to the nearly 300 athletes on hand, volunteers from several school districts, Emporia State Athletics and local special needs agencies were on hand to assist with the day’s activities.
Click here for a YouTube Short of the ESU Special Athletics Track and Field Day
Photos by Tagan Trahoon/KVOE News:
