Smiles were in no short supply Wednesday morning as special athletes and their buddies from 10 local schools gathered for the 11th annual Boilermaker Games.

Hosted by Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School and its Best Buddies program, the event features a series of competitive races and fun games at the Doug “Barc” Barclay Memorial Stadium.

Best Buddies pairs students with disabilities with their general education, nondisabled peers.

For this year’s games, 170 athletes were listed to compete alongside their buddies and volunteers. In total, more than 600 people participated.

Participating high schools included BBCHS, Herscher, Kankakee, Manteno, Peotone, Central, High Road School of the South Suburbs, Kankakee Area Special Education Cooperative, MENTA Academy and St. Anne.

“It’s one of the biggest years, for sure,” said Abby Downey, director of special services at BBCHS. “It grows almost every year.”

Best Buddies is the largest club at BBCHS with about 300 students involved. Last year, the BBCHS Best Buddies chapter was named Illinois Chapter of the Year.

“We’re really proud of everything that Best Buddies has accomplished,” Downey said.

The day kicked off with an opening ceremony, where teams ran through a giant inflatable Boilermaker football helmet onto the field. The BBCHS marching band and cheer team helped keep everyone hyped before the games began.

The BBCHS choir sang the national anthem before Superintendent Matt Vosberg offered welcoming remarks.

“Play hard and have fun!” Vosberg said.

First up were the buddy races that included contests to see who could pull all the tissues from a box the fastest, as well as who could sit on and pop balloons the fastest. KASEC won both of these challenges.

Next were the mascot races, with the mascots from Kankakee and Manteno high schools taking a victory in these challenges.

These were followed by team relays, individual field events and sprints.

Students could play games on the field such as ladder ball, bowling, bocce ball, bean bags, Jenga, basketball dribbling and shooting, Bozo buckets, Connect Four, Frisbee toss and Spikeball.

Finally, students attended the closing awards ceremony before enjoying a dance party and lunch.

Patrick Henry, a BBCHS senior, has been competing in the Boilermaker Games since his freshman year.

He earned a second-place victory in one of the day’s relay races.

“Just have as much fun as possible, and stay out of trouble,” Henry said as words of advice for fellow athletes.

Kyron Birk, Henry’s buddy and a BBCHS senior, said they’ve known each other for 11 years and are friends outside of school, as well.

“This is my guy,” Birk said. “It’s just nice to see our buddies having fun and being included.”

Derek Otero, a BBCHS senior, took first place in one of the relay races.

“It feels awesome,” he said. “I enjoy it, and I didn’t give up. I tried my best.”

This was his third time participating in the games.

Otero said he’d recommend other students get involved because of the connections they can make.

“Have fun, don’t hesitate to try something new and make more friendships while you can,” Otero said.

Ashley McCord, a BBCHS special education teacher and one of the event organizers, said the event is advertised as “the best day of the year,” and for many, that is truly the case.

“It’s such a positive day,” McCord said. “Everyone always leaves smiling and just feeling really fulfilled. So I think as that word gets out, people just want to join.”

Amanda Walker, BBCHS special education teacher and Special Olympics coordinator, noted that students have opportunities year-round to participate in sports through the Special Olympics.

Many athletes who competed Wednesday also participate in these sports, such as track, basketball and swimming.

When it comes to the Boilermaker games, the best part is the community involvement, she said. Several local businesses served as event sponsors, and area restaurants donated food for students to eat for lunch.

“It’s something joyful that brings our community together and all of our students together,” Walker said.