On Wednesday, that help came in the form of 31 volunteers from the Iowa Central Community College men’s and women’s bowling teams.

The Triton bowling teams have been volunteering for Special Olympics bowling competitions for the last decade, Coach Gregg Haden said.

“I want to teach our kids more than just their academics or their bowling,” Haden said. “Life lessons, volunteering. I think it’s important for them to learn, at this age, to volunteer, no matter what it’s for.”

Over the years, Haden has ushered dozens of Iowa Central students through volunteering with Special Olympics. He said they’ve all enjoyed it — some even more than they expected they would — and it’s become more than just a day off of classes.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
McKenzie Flugum, 13, of Clear Lake, bowls during Special Olympics bowling tournament on Wednesday at Family Bowling Center.

“There are some of our kids that I thought would never like this … those are the kids that get the most out of this experience,” Haden said. “It’s just amazing.”

Easton Lee, a sophomore business major from Monticello, was one of those students last year.

“My expectations were that this was going to be a long day,” Lee said. “I was hoping for a day off school, and it turned out it was really fun meeting all the kids and talking with them. It was a really great experience and I’m really glad I got to do it.”

Haden said that often, when the Iowa Central volunteers return for their second year helping out, Special Olympics athletes they had worked with the year before will remember them and be excited to see them again.

“This is just so special,” Haden said

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Hailee Jensen, 10, of Estherville, bowls during Special Olympics bowling tournament on Wednesday at Family Bowling Center.

For Katie Wiese, director of regional field services for Special Olympics Iowa, volunteers are an invaluable resource during competitions. Volunteers help athletes on the lanes, keep score and present the athletes their awards. Most importantly, they’re the athletes’ loudest cheerleaders.

“It’s always fun to see the relationships that are built in a short amount of time during our competitions between the athletes and volunteers,” Wiese said.

Special Olympics Iowa as a whole depends on volunteers, Wiese said. The organization has 25 sports and at competitions, volunteers are “vital.”

“We appreciate our volunteers,” she said.

Special Olympics Iowa is grateful to the Iowa Central bowling program for its years of service, Wiese said.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Eli Dyslin, 11, of Forest City, bowls during Special Olympics bowling tournament on Wednesday at Family Bowling Center.

“It’s just really fun to see these college kids get excited when they’re waiting for me to do the calculations to do the awards,” she said. “It’s very exciting to see the volunteers and the impact that they make.”

Wiese also knows exactly how difficult a competition can be without the help of volunteers — at a recent competition she ran, the group that was set to volunteer fell through and she wasn’t able to find replacements in time.

“It definitely makes a difference,” she said.

Today, students from Fort Dodge Senior High School will be volunteering at Special Olympics Bowling. Local area Special Olympics athletes will be competing.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Zoey Campbell, 14, of Clear Lake, reacts after knocking down a few pins during Special Olympics bowling tournament on Wednesday at Family Bowling Center.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Marcel Harper, 11, of Mason City, bowls during Special Olympics bowling tournament on Wednesday at Family Bowling Center.