A Bowling Green-based flag football team and two individual athletes have been named to compete as part of Team Kentucky at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games from July 1-6, 2018, in Seattle.

Four coaches from the area will also take part in the Games. In addition to the flag football team, local athletes will compete in artistic gymnastics and bowling.

Lee Dockins of Russellville will compete in artistic gymnastics at the Games. She is a veteran of World and USA Games events and has won more World Games medals than any athlete in Special Olympics Kentucky athlete. Dockins, 30, competed in artistic gymnastics at the 2007 World Summer Games in Shanghai, China, the 2011 Games in Athens and the 2015 Games in Los Angeles. This will also be the third USA Games for Dockins. She competed in artistic gymnastics at the first USA Games in Ames, Iowa, and the 2014 Games in New Jersey.

Daniel Williams of Glasgow will be part of the Team Kentucky bowling delegation at the Games, competing in the singles, doubles and team events. He is making his first trip to a Special Olympics USA or World Games-level competition. Williams, 26, has been a Special Olympics athlete for nine years but has bowled for 20. In addition to bowling, he also competes in basketball, softball and track and field with the Barren County Flames Special Olympics program. He is the first Barren County athlete to compete at the USA Games.

The flag football team competed during the Special Olympics season as the Bowling Green Toppers. They won the gold medal in their division of the 2016 Special Olympics State Flag Football Tournament to qualify to be selected for the USA Games. The team will take 10 athletes to the USA Games.

Morris Cooper of Bowling Green has been a Special Olympics athlete for seven years, competing in flag football the entire time. He also competes in track and field and basketball. Cooper, 23, is making his first trip to a Special Olympics USA Games.

Killian Day of Bowling Green is among the youngest Team Kentucky athletes in 2018 at 18 years old. Day has been a Special Olympics athlete for nine years and has been playing flag football for two of them. He also competes in bowling, track and field, basketball and softball. This is also his first trip to a USA Games.

Brandon Johnson of Rockfield has competed in Special Olympics for 30 years, playing flag football for the last two. Johnson, 48, also competes in basketball, softball and track and field. He is making his first trip to the USA Games.

Evans Johnson Jr. of Bowling Green is a seasoned Special Olympics veteran, having competed for 30 years in numerous sports. Johnson, 51, has played football for 20 years and Special Olympics flag football for six. He also competes in basketball, softball and track and field, and had competed in powerlifting. Johnson was part of a softball team made up primarily of athletes from the Bowling Green area that claimed the silver medal at the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, N.C.

James Jordan of Smiths Grove has been a Special Olympics athlete for four years and has played flag football for two. He will be competing at his first USA Games. Jordan, 27, also competes in basketball, softball and track and field.

Willy Kirby of Bowling Green is another of the team’s longtime Special Olympics veterans, having competed in the program for 25 years. He has played flag football for 10. Kirby, 50, also played on the 1999 World Games softball team that won the silver medal in North Carolina. In addition to flag football, Kirby competes in basketball, softball, bowling and track and field. He also competed in powerlifting when the sport was offered.

Dave Plested of Bowling Green is the final member of the team who was part of the 1999 World Games experience. He has been a Special Olympics athlete for 20 years and has competed in flag football for six. Plested, 46, also competes in softball, bowling, basketball, track and field. He was a powerlifter when that sport was offered and also tried alpine skiing.

Dewayne Prater of Russellville is a newcomer to the team. He has been a Special Olympics athlete for 17 years, competing in track and field, bowling, basketball, softball and soccer in addition to flag football. Prater, 35, has played flag football since 2013, competing most recently with the Russellville Rumble.

David Sexton of Bowling Green returns to the team after missing the 2016 season. He has been a Special Olympics athlete for 16 years and competed in flag football for six. Sexton, 43, also competes in basketball, softball, bowling and track and field.

Tony Thomas of Bowling Green is a nine-year veteran of Special Olympics competition and has played flag football for five of them. In addition to flag football, Thomas, 28, has competed in basketball track and field, softball and alpine skiing.

The team will be coached by Holly Vincent and Julian Hogin.

Vincent of Bowling Green will be the head coach for the team. She has been a Special Olympics coach for two years and has coached flag football at various levels for three years. As the special populations director for Bowling Green’s Department of Parks and Recreation, Vincent heads up the Special Olympics program for the city. She also coaches softball, basketball, bowling and track. This will be her first time coaching at the USA or World Games level.

Hogin of Bowling Green will serve as the assistant coach. He is in his second year coaching Special Olympics athletes. In addition to his Special Olympics coaching, Hogin has also served as an assistant coach at Hendersonville High School.

Two other area coaches will be part of the Team Kentucky coaching staff.

Jeff Corder of Bowling Green will be taking part in his third USA Games, heading up the Team Kentucky medical services. Corder, who works at The Medical Center in the emergency room, has been a Special Olympics volunteer for 27 years. He currently heads up the operations of the Kentucky Special Events Medical Team, which provides medical and first aid services for all Special Olympics Kentucky state-level competitions.

Jen Siebold will be participating in her second USA Games and her first as an Additional Staff Coach. Siebold was the head coach of the women’s basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2010 USA Games in Lincoln, Neb. She was also an assistant with that team when it won the gold medal representing Special Olympics USA at the 2007 World Summer Games in Shanghai, China. Siebold runs the Special Olympics program for the Russellville Department of Parks and Recreation. She coaches basketball, softball, soccer, flag football and track and field. She lives in Goodlettsville, Tenn.

In all, there will be 43 athletes and 17 coaches taking part in the USA Games with Team Kentucky. Eight sports – artistic gymnastics, basketball, bocce, bowling, flag football, golf, swimming and track and field – are represented by Team Kentucky.

The total cost of sending Team Kentucky to the 2018 USA Games is expected to approach $100,000. For information about how you can help sponsor the team or to make a donation, contact Trish Mazzoni at 502-695-8222 or tmazzoni@soky.org.