Special Olympics Athletes Compete in Skills Challenge at Pro Bowl

ORLANDO, FL – Over the next week tens of thousands of fans will put their football skills to the test at the Pro Bowl Experience Field at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Field, but on Wednesday evening that field was dominated by nearly 100 Special Olympics Florida athletes.

Excitement was in the cold Florida air as temperatures dipped into the 40s, but that didn’t stop the athletes from having a blast. They competed in the same challenges as their favorite NFL stars including:

• 40-Yard Dash
• Best Hands
• Kick-Tac-Toe
• Obstacle Course
• Precision Passing
• Vertical Jump

“I’m having such a good time and I love racing against my friends,” explained Raheem Pitts, 14, a native of Los Angeles, California now living in Florida. “I’ve been looking forward to this day ever since my teachers told me I would be at the Pro Bowl. It just feels so good to be out here.”

The partnership between the NFL and Special Olympics leverages the football community to promote awareness, respect and inclusion of Special Olympics athletes amongst NFL players, clubs, supporters and partners. These efforts will create new participants, coaches and fans to grow the sport of flag football within Special Olympics North America programs.

“This program is part of our Unified Flag Football with a focus of getting with and without intellectual disabilities on the team and we’re out here having a fun time,” Megan Mendoza, Community Relations Manager of the National Football League said in an interview with Patch.com. “They absolutely love it. They’re out here having a good time and it’s not only helpful for the unified flag football athletes, but to the parents and anyone witnessing the event out here.”

The National Football League is now in the fourth year of its partnership with the Special Olympics.

“We have seen growth in Unified Flag Football over the years since launching the partnership,” added Mendoza, whose focus is on the NFL’s Play 60 campaign. “In the key markets that NFL grants fund, we have seen a growth in the number of coaches, athletes and unified partners through this partnership.”

PLAY 60 is the league's youth health and wellness platform to get kids across the country active for 60 minutes a day.

During Super Bowl Week in Miami, the NFL will host a similar event for the Special Olympics Florida athletes to promote the Unified Flag Football program as they look to continue to build on the success of the grassroots program for children of the football community.