Special Olympics Illinois - Region G

02/02/2026

It's no secret that it takes guts to jump in the icy water at the Polar Plunge, and our athletes are no strangers to braving the cold, particularly our snowshoers! 🥶

It's because of your courage that we can provide more opportunities for athletes to show off their skills. Over 10 THOUSAND plungers jumped in for an incredible cause, and we want you to be part of another record-breaking year! 🐻‍❄️

Register as an individual or create your team HERE - support.soill.org/bloomington2026 or support.soill.org/peoria2026

01/28/2026

Of course we had to recruit some rock-star models to show off this year's Polar Plunge swag 🤩 check out this year's Plunge hoodie and $250-level incentive Carhartt beanie, along with some SWEET items available in the souvenir shop.

📍Register to plunge and start earning your swag HERE -
support.soill.org/bloomington2026 (Bloomington - 2/28) or
https://support.soill.org/peoria2026 (Peoria - 2/21)

01/26/2026

🏀 BASKETBALL LOTTERY RESULTS 🏀

While we wish we could have hosted our Regional Basketball Tournament as scheduled, we know that Region G will still be well-represented at the State Basketball competition. In order to determine the advancing teams in the fairest manner possible, we have conducted a lottery for each division, as shown in this clip.

The teams from each Senior Division that will be competing for gold at State are:

Division 1 - AIR - City of Pontiac 66'ers (Gray)
Division 2 - Heart of Illinois Special Recreation Association (HISRA) Lightning
Division 3 - PBL Pink Panthers
Division 4 - Piatt County Golden Eagles
Division 5 - TNT Firecrackers
Division 6 - Illinois River Valley Special Recreation Association Pink Panthers
Division 7 - EPIC Bulldogs
Division 8 - PBL A Team

01/24/2026

🚨 Region G Basketball Tournament Update 🚨

We regret to inform you that due to the Winter Weather Advisory/Winter Storm Warnings forecast and for the safety of our athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and spectators traveling from central and southern parts of Illinois, the Region G Basketball Tournament scheduled for Sunday, January 25 in Bloomington has been cancelled.

We understand how disappointing this is to all the athletes that have worked so hard preparing for this tournament. Unfortunately, rescheduling is not an option due to facility availability, as well as the remaining timeline for entry deadline for State.

Advancement to the State Basketball Tournament will be determined by random lottery, with results shared on this page the afternoon of Monday, January 26.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support of our athletes. 💙

01/23/2026

🚨 Weather Update – Region G Basketball Tournament 🚨
We are actively monitoring weather conditions for the upcoming Region G Basketball Tournament. The Bloomington–Normal area is currently under a Winter Weather Advisory during the scheduled event time.
The safety of our athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers is always our top priority, especially with teams and volunteers traveling from across central and parts of southern Illinois.
We will continue to monitor the forecast and road conditions closely and will share an update by 1:00 PM tomorrow with the tournament status, including whether we will proceed, cancel, or continue monitoring.
Please stay tuned for further updates!

01/22/2026

Shoutout to Schooners Bloomington and VFW 454 for putting this event together once again to support our Region G athletes! ❤️ They'll also be taking the plunge at Miller Park on February 28th!

We are less than two weeks away from our annual Polar Plunge Bags Tournament benefiting Special Olympics Illinois!! 🥶☃️

Even if you aren’t throwing bags, come hang out, grab some drinks from the VFW 454, and buy some raffle tickets 🎟️!
We’ve got some pretty great prizes this year thanks to our amazing sponsors!

01/21/2026

Our reach for the Polar Plunge is hitting your local Schnucks, starting tomorrow!

From January 22-February 1, icons will be sold at check out at five regional Schnucks locations (Bloomington, Normal, Knoxville, Pekin, and Peoria) so you can support the Plunge and our athletes while doing something as simple as picking up your groceries. It's an easy way to give back while checking off your to-do list! 📝

Thank you to Schnucks for all you do to support the Special Olympics Illinois mission! ❤️

01/16/2026

We can't wait to see our athletes at the first competition of the year next weekend! 🥳

We will be at the Shirk Center at Illinois Wesleyan University next Sunday for our Regional Basketball Tournament, with games starting at 9am. Come cheer on our participating teams (and our three Plunge Ambassadors) as they shoot 🏀 for gold!

01/13/2026

Take the 2026 Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Polar Plunge 🧊 with us this winter and start 2026 by doing something daring for a cause that matters. Your splash supports local Special Olympics Illinois athletes, and we promise plenty of smiles along the way! 😁

with us at Kelleher's Irish Pub on February 21st or at Miller Park Lake on February 28th.
Sign up here - https://support.soill.org/peoria2026 and support.soill.org/bloomington2026

01/07/2026

Last but MOST CERTAINLY not least, introducing our second 2026 Peoria Plunge Ambassador - Returning for year #2, Thomas Doran!! 🥳
📍Hometown - Dunlap, IL
💪Agency he competes with - Heart of Illinois Special Recreation Association (HISRA)
🏅 # of years as a athlete - 18
🏀 Sports - Basketball, track and field, softball, flag football (Next competition - Region G Basketball, Jan. 25)

You can read more about Thomas in his spotlight article on the Polar Plunge website! Follow this link - https://plungeillinois.com/2025/10/24/thomas-doran-takes-lead-in-encouraging-special-olympics-illinois-involvement/

Stay tuned for more updates and sign up to take the plunge now! Register here - support.soill.org/peoria2026

01/02/2026

We hope everyone’s New Year is off to a great start!! 🥳 Happy New Year from your Region G team!

Our first event of the year is coming up with the Region G basketball on January 25th at Shirk Center @ Illinois Wesleyan University. We invite you to come cheer on our athletes (and our Plunge Ambassadors 🐻‍❄️)! For more information on the competition, visit www.soill.org 🏀

12/27/2025