The 2023 Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) Fall Tournament concluded Nov. 18 in the Charlotte area, ending a weekend of competition for nearly 1,100 athletes and Unified partners from across the state, according to Keith L. Fishburne, SONC president/CEO.

Unified partners are individuals without intellectual disabilities who train and compete alongside Special Olympics athletes.
Fall Tournament is SONC’s second largest state-level competition, hosted at venues in Charlotte and Concord. Athletes competed in bocce, cycling, golf, roller skating, softball, soccer and tennis.

To ensure fair competition, athletes were placed in competition divisions based on age, gender and ability level. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to the top three finishers in each division, followed by fourth through eighth-place ribbons.

Stanly athletes, their team (if applicable) and place were:

• Angela M. Kirk, Stanly Hot Shots, bocce doubles, fourth place;

• Angela Elizabeth Townsend, Stanly Hot Shots, bocce doubles, fourth place;

• Harry L. Cohen, Stanly Roll Us Away, bocce doubles, silver medal;

• Alexander Hunt, Stanly Bocce Barons, bocce team, silver medal;

• Adam Christopher Hupp, Stanly Bocce Barons, bocce team, silver medal;

• Jonathon Martin, Stanly Bocce Barons, bocce team, silver medal;

• Bryce Ray Neal, Stanly Bocce Barons, bocce team, silver medal;

• Clint Edwards Phillips, Stanly Bocce Barons, bocce team, silver medal; and

• Elliot Schmehl, Stanly Roll Us Away, bocce doubles, silver medal.

Athletes who competed in the 2023 SONC Fall Tournament represented the following counties/agencies: Alamance, Alleghany, Avery, Beaufort/Hyde, Brunswick, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Carteret, Caswell Center, Catawba, Cleveland, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Franklin, Gaston, Guilford, Guilford/High Point, Harnett, Iredell, Johnston, Lake Norman, Lee, Lincoln, Madison, Mecklenburg, Moore, Murdoch Center, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Pitt, Polk, Qualla Boundary, Stanly, Surry, Union, Wake, Watauga, Wayne, Wilkes and Wilson.