(Riverton, WY) – The Special Olympics Wyoming Area 1 Games took place in Riverton over the weekend on a deceptively cold Saturday morning, where athletes gathered to compete in over 30 field events and various swimming competitions.
The games took place at the Riverton High School track and aquatic center, where dozens of family members, coaches, and fans cheered on the athletes as they poured their hearts out on the track and in the pool.
The event kicked off with the athlete introduction and law enforcement torch run (which featured officers from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and the Riverton and Lander Police Departments), and event donors High Plains Power provided a truck to raise the colors.
Field events included multi-distance walks/dashes/relays, long jumps, softball/tennis ball/shotput throwing, and assisted/manual/motorized races.
A new event at this year’s games was a variation of the motorized wheelchair race, which featured “Go Baby Go!” adaptive mobility carts. The carts were a local effort years in the making, thanks to Lander mom Amber Peckham-Jones’ dream to provide her physically disabled daughter, Nasyi, with an inclusive way to have fun and compete. Once funding was secured from the LOR Foundation, Lander science teacher Sam Hartpence and his robotics club students stepped in to help design/build the carts. (You can read the full “Go Baby Go!” story here.)
In a full-circle moment, Peckham-Jones, who is now a Special Olympics coach in Lander, got to see Nasyi compete in the cart, along with Lander’s Ollie Horton.
“GoBabyGo started as a way to give young kids with mobility challenges their very first taste of independence,” Peckham-Jones shared with County 10. “Seeing it show up in the Special Olympics space signals something bigger: those early opportunities are turning into lifelong inclusion. It’s not just about modified cars anymore, it’s about a pathway into sports, community, and confidence.”
Peckham-Jones said that for athletes and families, it “likely feels validating.”
“(It’s) like, ‘we belong here too.’ For coaches and communities, it’s a reminder that innovation and inclusion go hand in hand. And for anyone who’s been part of building programs like GoBabyGo!, it’s probably emotional, because you’re watching something that started small, open doors on a much bigger stage. It also sets a precedent. When something like this enters the Special Olympics world, it tells other programs: adapt, evolve, include earlier, think bigger.”
Athletes will now head to the 2026 State Summer Games, which are set to take place in Gillette on April 30 through May 2.
Check out the slideshows below of all the Area 1 Games fun!
Throwing/Jumping Events. h/t Vince Tropea, County 10
Swimming Events. h/t Vince Tropea, County 10
Dashes/Walks/Relays. h/t Vince Tropea, County 10
Cheering Sections. h/t Vince Tropea, County 10
Medalists. h/t Vince Tropea, County 10
All smiles. h/t Vince Tropea, County 10