One of our original Chargers, Tom H., provided us with this detailed team history:

“Chargers started in 1983 with approximately 45 athletes for track/field.  The Chargers sports in the first year were bowling, basketball, track/field, swimming and softball.  Chargers started doing floor hockey in 1997, and soccer in 2002.

For bocce, I’m not sure when Chargers really started bocce, because they technically started playing bocce in 2006, [with other organizations]….So [2022] is really the first all Chargers bocce without being in a bocce club.     

Some Chargers did softball under Special Softball, and then Special Olympics softball under the Special Softball All-Stars…then Chargers softball teams did the Special Olympic softball tourneys [from 2017 to present]. Of course, some Chargers do the new named Superstar Softball. 

There was a time Chargers as a team didn’t do bowling from 2006 to 2016, but the Chargers team is back at bowling, at least for now.

Of course, Chargers [took] part in (what used to be) State Games.  Some of the most knowables was Chargers having softball teams taking part in the State Games in 1987 and 1993, and a basketball team taking part in the State Games in 1990.  All those 3 State Games were at UCLA, when it was all California Special Olympics. Chargers even went to Hawaii for Special Olympics in 1985.  

Chargers had a basketball team take part in the Special Olympic USA Games in Iowa in 2006.  Of course, a few Chargers athletes took part in other Special Olympic USA Games in past years, [up to, and including 2022].      

Well, that’s all I know.  Thanks for letting me help.” 

-Tom H.