Simi Stars softball player Jessica Johnson gets ready to slam the ball during the Special Olympics Fall games
in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
OC Stars and Stripes volleyball player Stephanie Hardy, right, and Becca Nerney celebrate during the Special Olympics Fall games in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. Their team won a gold medal in their division. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The Garden Grove Rebels celebrate their gold medal in volleyball during the Special Olympics Fall games
in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
OC Stars and Stripes coach Kevin Walsh, top left, and Jim Kissinger, center, cheer their volleyball team during the Special Olympics Fall games in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. The team won a gold medal in their division. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Fans watch the Special Olympics Fall volleyball games
in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Garden Grove Rebels player Patrick Truong reaches high during the Special Olympics Fall games in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. His team won a gold medal in their division. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
OC Stars and Stripes volleyball player Stephanie Hardy reacts after missing a shot during the Special Olympics Fall games in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Simi Stars softball team celebrates their victory during the Special Olympics Fall games in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Lompoc Braves player Dan Hines keeps his eye on the ball during the Special Olympics Fall games in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Simi Stars softball player Jessica Johnson celebrates her run during the Special Olympics Fall games in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
OC Stars and Stripes volleyball player Stephanie Hardy, right, embraces teammate Jeannie Harrison during the Special Olympics Fall games in Fullerton, CA on Sunday, November 10, 2019. The team won a gold medal in their division. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Competitive spirit – and immense joy – was evident on the faces of the athletes participating over the weekend in the Special Olympics Southern California Fall Games.
About 800 athletes from San Luis Obispo County to San Diego County, cheered on by more than 3,000 coaches, volunteers and spectators, competed in soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center & Sports Park, and in a golf tournament at neighboring David L. Baker Golf Course.
“It was so fun to play. I have friends that motivate me to play even harder and stronger,” Athena Leontsinis, a volleyball player from the South Bay, said in a statement following the two-day event. “I love the motivation that people give me.”
Special Olympics provides competitive sports opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities around the world. For more information about the Southern California chapter, go to sosc.org
