Athletes from across the state are gathered in Richmond for the state Special Olympics games.

The summer.

The Olympic torch made its way to Eastern Kentucky University last week for the annual opening ceremony, and celebrated 30 years at EKU.

This is an event that used to move from place to place every couple of years, and we came to Eastern Kentucky University 30 years ago.

And they just opened their arms to this event and made it so easy to come back.

And it's they have developed, a group of people on campus here that care just as much about the state summer games as our athletes do, as our parents do, as our staff does.

And they've really embraced everything about Special Olympics and what makes the Summer games great.

And they've just made it so easy to come back here year after year for 30 years, that I just can't imagine it being anywhere else.

You walk out of the dorm and you can absolutely feel the energy on campus the minute you step outside the dome.

We want we want you just now, and it's really sort of an overwhelming feeling, especially if you haven't done it before.

But it's there's so much joy and so much energy and so much excitement on campus that it is an experience that everybody should sort of come for at least once.

Like for me, it's good to meet other athletes from around the state because, like, I'm from North Kentucky, but there's other athletes from like Owensboro or Louisville, Lexington or further further in Kentucky.

So I think for them to come over and meet in this and at EKU is just a thrill to meet other athletes.

Like me, from all over and get to meet a lot of them.

You don't have to be good to either run or whatever sport they want to do, but it's just having fun meeting friends and just doing your best.

I think the benefits of special Olympics are enormous from the social aspect of it.

You walk around campus and you've got athletes who are with their best friends, and they've met them through Special Olympics, and they might be the best friends on their team or they might live in Richmond, and their best friend is somebody that they met at a state summer games that lives in Paducah, and they see him three times a year at Special Olympics events.

That aspect of it, the physical activities is, is incredible.

You know, we know our athletes are more likely to do well in school than their peers who don't participate.

We know our athletes are more likely to have jobs than their peers who don't participate.

The life change that they would gain through Special Olympics is sort of unmatched.

30 years.

I don't know where the time's going, but it sure has flown.

So and I think with, you know, with it changing here and there, I mean, it's it's pretty special.

But special indeed.

Track and field races and relays as well as the softball toss competition started Friday.

Soccer, bocce and rhythmic gymnastics began Saturday.