Regional Fall Games come to Upper Valley during 50th anniversary year for Special Olympics organization

Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, is once again hosting Special Olympics athletes for the 2018 Upper Valley Regional Fall Games. This year’s games take place on Saturday, September 29th in Claremont, New Hampshire.

The event kicks off at Maple Avenue Elementary School with a 9 a.m. Opening Ceremony that includes a torch lighting and recitation of the Special Olympics athlete oath. Following the Opening Ceremony, athletes will enjoy breakfast and team photos before moving on to Meyer Maple Lanes for the games themselves, a bowling competition, which get underway at 11 a.m. and conclude at approximately 2 p.m. with an award ceremony.

This year’s games will feature dozens of Special Olympics athletes who will travel to the Upper Valley from all over New England. The athletes have devoted countless hours to training for these events. Coincidentally, both Hypertherm and the Special Olympics were founded in the same year, 1968, making this the 50^th anniversary year for both organizations.

“We have a long-standing commitment to making a positive contribution in our communities and our support of the Special Olympics is just one part of this commitment,” said Stacey Chiocchio, Hypertherm’s Community Citizenship Manager. “The joy on the athletes’ faces as they take part in the events is so gratifying to all of us, and the fact that both Hypertherm and the Special Olympics organizations are celebrating their 50th anniversary makes this year’s games extra special.”

Hanover based Hypertherm is organizing the Upper Valley games for a fourteenth straight year. In addition to providing financial support, Hypertherm estimates upwards of 30 associates will donate hours of volunteer time. As with any of the Special Olympics regional events, the public is encouraged to cheer on the athletes and share in the joy of this great sports competition.

Hypertherm designs and manufactures industrial cutting products for use in a variety of industries such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and automotive repair. Its product line includes cutting systems, in addition to CNC motion and height controls, CAM nesting software, robotic software and consumables. Hypertherm systems are trusted for performance and reliability that result in increased productivity and profitability for hundreds of thousands of businesses. The company’s reputation for cutting innovation dates back 50 years to 1968, with Hypertherm’s invention of water injection plasma cutting. The 100 percent associate owned company has more than 1,400 associates along with operations and partner representation worldwide.