Approximately 2,800 athletes from around the state converged on the ISU campus Friday and Saturday to compete in the Special Olympics State Summer Games.

Opening ceremonies of the 2011 Summer Games were held in Hilton Coliseum, and competitions were held in Lied Recreation Athletic Center, the Forker Building and Beyer Hall.

“It has been a great relationship that we have had with Iowa State,” said Mark Reed, the president and CEO of Special Olympics Iowa. “There are quite a few volunteers that are not just students, but also faculty and staff that are on the Summer Games Committee.” Reed added that the Summer Games Committee will take only take a few weeks off after the 2011 Summer Games before they start planning for next year.

Seann DeMarius of the Ames Convention and Visitor’s Bureau said that of the 2,000 total volunteers who helped this weekend, approximately 150 were Iowa State students.

“We have been hosting the games at Iowa State University since the mid-’80s,” Reed said. “We also hosted the first national games in 2006 at Iowa State. It truly is a great partnership.”

The Special Olympics is far more extensive than just the Summer Games that are held at Iowa State University every year.

“We also have a great relationship with the Big 12 conference,” Reed said. “Any conference championships that are held at Iowa State University for different sports, we have an opportunity to have Special Olympics athletes be involved in that event.”

There are also local events and competitions spreading throughout the state that serve nearly 11,000 Iowans with intellectual disabilities.

Reed said that because the Special Olympics include aquatic events, wheelchair races, roller skating, soccer, tennis, cycling, track and field, bocce and artistic events, there are bound to be activities that appeal to every athlete and volunteer.

“If people want to get involved in the future, the best way is to contact our offices in Grimes and to contact our volunteer coordinator Erin Hall,” Reed said. “She can get people lined up to volunteer in a variety of different ways”

The 2012 State Winter Games will be held from January 9 to January 11 in Dubuque.