Yuma Special Olympics prepares for Friday’s powerlifting area meet

YUMA, Ariz., (KYMA, KECY) - Friday marks the second straight year that the Yuma Special Olympics will be hosting its powerlifting area meet for a chance for athletes to qualify for state in Glendale next month.

After a good showing last year, the festivities will once again kick off at 11:45 am on Friday at the 4th Ave Gym in the Foothills.

Athletes ranging from 15 to 50 years old will participate - who have been training and conditioning for several months with the help of some wonderful volunteer personal trainers and coaches.

One of them is Anna Marie Castillo, who is ecstatic to get another chance to see the athletes beat some of their individual goals.

"It's awesome to see how excited they get," said Castillo. "We had our first one last year and we had music, we had a whole bunch of people, over 100 people showed up. It was big, the whole community came and got involved, and they rallied behind the athletes. The athletes felt important, felt like they were part of something, and they felt normal."

Now in the second year, the athletes know what to expect and get the chance to be a part of a growing sport that Yuma hopes to continue for a long, long time.

"I think that's what's really cool about having it local here at this gym," added Castillo. "The athletes work really hard to be a part of this. They're excited to be with us, they're grateful for the opportunity to work with trainers. And to me, it makes my life more fulfilling."

Another team making the trip to Yuma for the competition will be Kingman to take part in the competitions.

The qualifying athletes will head to Glendale for the Statewide Summer Games on May 4th - 6th.