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Special Olympics: Barts chosen for Team USA once again

Georgetown News-Graphic - 7/24/2017

A fixture in the Scott County sports community is once again taking his talents to a national stage.

Ryan Barts, a multi-time medalist in Special Olympics competition around the world, has been named to Team Kentucky for the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games.

The competition is scheduled for July 1 to 6 next summer in Seattle.

Barts, 28, will challenge for a medal in his bread-and-butter event, track and field. From his previous appearance - 2010, in Lincoln, Nebraska - Barts brought home a gold medal and two silver medals.

One year later, Barts scored silver in the long jump at the World Summer Games in Athens, Greece.

Upper-level competition is nothing new for Barts, who has been a Special Olympics mainstay for more than half his life. While he is best known for his track and field exploits, Barts also is accomplished in flag football, basketball, bowling and softball.

Barts has served as a Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger. That group of Special Olympians serves the organization by acting as spokespersons about the movement and its tenets of acceptance, courage, dignity and hope.

He is a past master of ceremonies at the Kentucky Summer Games. This past Thursday, he was one of the athletes chosen to announce next year's team at a press conference in Lexington.

A total of 43 athletes will represent the state, accompanied by 17 coaches. Their specialties include track, swimming, golf, flag football, bowling, bocce, basketball and artistic gymnastics.

"This is one of the most exciting parts of the cycle for our program and our athletes," said Trish Mazzoni, president and CEO of Special Olympics Kentucky. "Not only is competing at the USA Games a tremendous honor for our athletes, but it is an incredible growth experience for them.

"The opportunity to spend a week or more in a new city, surrounded by the energy and excitement of so many fellow athletes, is a life-changing experience. So many times we have seen it make amazing changes in the athletes who have been able to attend."

In addition to his recognizable presence as a super fan at Scott County High School sporting events and his encyclopedic knowledge of the teams, Barts works at Kroger in Georgetown.

Team Kentucky's mission is an expensive one. The toll for sending Barts and his teammates to next year's competition is close to $100,000. Donations and sponsorships are welcome. For more information, contact Mazzoni at (502) 695-8222 or tmazzoni@soky.org.

This will be the fourth quadrennial USA Games. In addition to the Nebraska event, prior Special Olympics showcases took place in Ames, Iowa (2006) and Newark, New Jersey (2014).

Most events will be held on the University of Washington campus.

Athletes and coaches are expected to hail from all 50 states, totaling more than 4,000, along with thousands more volunteers and spectators. Fourteen different sports are on the docket.

Special Olympics is the largest worldwide organization devoted to sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Competitors may start as young as age 8. Barts debuted at 13.

The Kentucky program started in 1970 at a one-day spotlight event in Louisville. It now runs year-round and includes more than 8,300 athletes.

Kal Oakes can be reached via email at sports@news-graphic.com.