NOTICES: You can still donate to Area 26 through the Mark Emery Memorial Golf Tournament Fundraiser HERE 

If you would like to volunteer to help out with scoring, refereeing or admin support for a basketball tournament, click HERE


The 2024 Polar Plunge registration and donation page is open.
 If you want to participate, PLEASE do so through the link below for Bill Creighton's Ice Dippers Team as that will guarantee that the Area gets a portion of the funds (50%).  

Special Thank You!!

...to our newest Area Sponsor, Fairfax Neonatal Associates, for their very generous $5,000 donation to the Area Program.

FNA Website

Who We Are

Special Olympics Virgina  (SOVA)  provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This gives them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.  Area 26 services SOVA in Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria as part of the Potomac Region.

Area Council 

Chair: Elaine Tilton
Secretary: Abby Lacy
Treasurer: Jeff McGiboney
Athlete Representative: Kia Hill
IT Coordinator:  Barry Tilton
Volunteer Coordinator: Tejas Patel
Referee Co-Coordinator:  Jeffrey Eskridge
Athlete Registration Coordinator:  Nancy Robbins
Fundraising Chair: Patrick DeLapp and Katherine Martin 
Medical Coordinator: Christine Fowler
Spring/Summer Sports Director: Nancy Julia

Fall/Winter Sports Director: Elaine Tilton
At Large:  Chuck Adkins Blanch,   Jay Hoffmeir
Athlete Rep Mentor:  Max Hershberger, 

Sports and Coordinators

Greetings from the Chair

Welcome to our community website! My name is Elaine Tilton, and I am  both the Chair and the Director of Fall and Winter Programs for  Area 26.

Locally we offer 23 sports to more than 2500 athletes year round. We are always in need of volunteers who are willing to share their time and skills with our athletes.  They will surely show you that they possess the same level of excitement and interest that you have.  

If you are already involved, please take a look around the site as there is an abundance of information available. I would appreciate your comments and suggestions. 

                                  Sincerely,
                                      Elaine Tilton 

Stay Fit, Stay Active

Follow these links for online programs from Area 26 and from Special Olympics during COVID

Area 26 Programs

We offer a number of ways to stay fit and in touch

Area 26 Online Programs

Special Olympics VA Programs

Fit5 and others

SOVA Online Programs

Special Olympics International

SOI activites and web programs.

SOI Activities

Revealing the Champion in all of us

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.


Area 26 is the local organization managing Special Oympics teams, athletes and events in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria.  We support over 3500 competitors in sports year-round.

If you have questions, feel free to contact us by clicking below.


Contact us...

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Newsletter Archive

For more information about our activities, past editions of the newsletter are available here

Just Click the month/quarter  to view.

Winter 2023

Fall Games Summary, winter preview

Winter 2023

Fall 2023

Summer activities and Fall Preview

Fall 2023

Summer 2023

Summer Games  and Spring Fun

Summer 2023

Spring 2023

Basketball Season, Skiing, Snowcraft, Spring Preview

Summer 2023

Winter 2022

Fall Season Highlights, Fall Champs, Winter preview

Winter 2022

Fall 2022

Summary of over-the-summer and Fall Planning

Fall 2022

USA Games Blast

Feature coverage on Virginia at the Games

Special Edition

June 2022

State Summer Games Summary - Last MONTHLY edition. Switching to quarterly / Season

June 2022

May 2022

Nysmith, Track and Swim Regionals

May 2022

April 2022

Basketball Highlights and Swim Trials

April 2022

March 2022

Capitol Hill Visit 2022

March 2022

February 2022

Snow day #2, Return-to-play plan

February 2022

January 2022

Snow Day #1 and holiday fun  part II

January 2022

December 2021

Golf Fundraiser and holiday fun part 1

December 2021

November 2021

Fall Games 2021

November 2021

October 2021

Bocce, Bowling, Golf, Soccer and Volleyball Practices and games

October 2021

September 2021

Summer Swim, Bowling Coordinator Intro, Plane Pull and Golf Tournament Information

September 2021

August 2021

Return to play guidelines, more on vaccination, Soccer Camp, Plane Pull Registration

August 2021

July 2021

COVID Response, Rugby Clinic, Graduation Photos

July 2021

June 2021

Flag Football Skills, Return to play plan

June 2021

May 2021

COVID Recovery Plans

May 2021

April 2021

Athletes getting outdoors, active and vaccinated. 

April 2021

March 2021

Vaccination information and links, plus BASH restart

March 2021

February 2021

Valentines and ongoing online activities / events

February 2021

January 2021

New Year Summary of Activities substituting for the Winter seaon

January 2021

December 2020

How to respond to COVID.  The results of the Fall Combine
More Virtual activities

December 2020

November 2020

Voting Information.  Athletes on the go!  Introducing our new Athlete Representative.

November 2020

October 2020

Combine begins. Fit 5 Five video.  More athlete action.

October 2020

September 2020

Fall Combine Overview - Active athletes.

September 2020

August 2020

Summer activities in COVID.  Staying cool and socially distanced.

August 2020

July 2020

A message from Tim Shriver.  Still more stay-at-home activities.  Torch Run results.  Featured Sport:  Bocce

July 2020

June 2020

More stay-at-home  activities.  Virtual Torch Run.  

June 2020

May 2020

More adventures at home.  Photojournals of athletes and Coaches/Volunteers staying fit and active.  Featured sport, powerlifting

Read more

April 2020

COVID-19 Stay at Home edition.  Home fitness photojournal, Unified Wizards Game, Featured Sport:  Swimming

April 2020

March 2020

Fitness Video, Basketball, Speedskating States,
Special Featured Sport:  Swedish Test Skating, 

March 2020

February 2020

The Mosaic Polar Plunge, PVI Basketball Clinic and Bash Boxing.  Featured Sport: Speedskating

February 2020

January 2020

Basketball Season starts.  Hayfield BBall Clinic,  NBA Cares Event. Featured Sport:  Skiing and Snowboarding

January 2020

December 2019

NIRSA Flag Football, and Golf NIT.  Featured Sport, Basketball

December 2019

November 2019

News on Marine Corps Marathon and Law Enforcement Golf Fundraiser.  Featured Sport, Cross Country Skiing

November 2019

October 2019

First online edition of new email.  Featured Sport, Cycling

October 2019

September 2019

This issue is only available as a PDF.   Featured Sport, Volleyball. 

September 2019

Special Editions

Besides the normal Monthly edition, we have published several special editions for events that stand on their own.  These can be found by clicking their links here:

2019 Fall State Games
2020 NBA Cares with Chris Carter
2020 Basketball State Games
2020 Athletes at Home Edition



Read more
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