Schoenbauer to take part in Special Olympics World Games

Special Olympics Minnesota athlete Matthew Schoenbauer, son of LeRoy and Pamela Schoenbauer of New Prague, has been selected to Team USA for the 2011 World Summer Games in Athens, Greece, to be held June 25 to July 4, 2011.

Schoenbauer, 13, an eighth grader at New Prague Middle School, has grown up around horses and has been nicknamed the Horse Whisperer by those who know him well. His coach has said Schoenbauer's great knowledge of horses and his drive to learn will make him a great asset to Team USA when he competes at the 2011 World Summer Games as an equestrian athlete.

The Special Olympics World Summer Games will be the biggest sporting event worldwide in 2011, bringing together 7,500 Special Olympic athletes from 185 nations.

Schoenbauer is one of eight athletes from Minnesota selected to participate in the 2011 World Summer Games.

Special Olympics Minnesota offers children and adults with intellectual disabilities year-round sports training and competition. Through Special Olympics' athletic, health and leadership programs, people with intellectual disabilities transform themselves, their communities and the world.