Athlete Julie Littell competes for her 43rd year in the Special Olympics Michigan State Summer Games
Julie Littell poses for picture at Bocce Ball practice behind the track field on May 23.
Julie Littell is one of 2,600 athletes who will compete in the largest Special Olympics event in Michigan May 31-June 2 at Central Michigan University.
She started her Special Olympics Michigan Summer Games career in 1975 competing in track and field events and later switching to Bocce Ball. Littell will be competing in the Bocce Ball event which consists of a series of singles and doubles matches. All teams will face others in their division which are determined based on score level and skill. In each match there are four rounds and all teams are competing for the gold medal.
“Bocce Ball is a lot more fun (than track),” Littell said. “It’s a good time to be with new and old friends. I also love all of the coaches.”
While Littell spends the majority of her time practicing and competing, she is also a Global Messenger for Special Olympics.
Global messengers are selected to be spokespeople for athletes. As a global messenger, she goes to speaking engagements throughout the year to fundraise, gather and share information, and to share the likes and dislikes of the games.
In order to become a global messenger, Littell had to take part a training program that offers public speaking and presentation skills training to Special Olympics athletes.
This year’s games begin Thursday, May 31 at 9 a.m. and doesn’t end until evening time Saturday June 2. For a more detailed schedule visit http://www.somi.org/events/summergames.html#.Ww1z5Egvw2w .
