Mission:
The Endeavor Games exists to create equitable access to sport competitions for individuals with physical disabilities.
Values:
We believe in creating equity by action more than by words.
We aspire to serve the needs of athletes whether they participate for health, recreation or dream of being a Paralympian.
We know sport has the power to change the lives of athletes, family members, coaches, volunteers and spectators.
We believe people should have access to multiple sport competitions within a manageable distance, regardless of their location.
We believe limited financial resources should never be a deterrent to participate in sport.
The UCO Endeavor Games for Athletes with Physical Disabilities was first held in 2000 on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma. The goal was simple; to provide children, adults and military service members with physical disabilities an opportunity to display their talents in a proper and competitive setting against individuals with similar disabilities. The Games were originally created by a non-profit organization, whose overall mission was to offer quality sports programs to athletes with physical disabilities from Oklahoma and beyond. That first year, seven sports were offered and 91 athletes attended from seven states and Australia. The event continued to grow, offering more sports and a few sport clinics.
In 2004, UCO recognized the importance and the potential the Endeavor Games had and integrated the non-profit and its small staff into the operations of the newly constructed Wellness Center. This opened many more opportunities for the Games including special efforts on marketing and design. Special events were offered such as sport clinics, different and more sport competitions, a welcoming party and an athlete banquet.
As the Endeavor Games grew through the years, the event attracted accolades and a greater awareness. For the past several years, it has been one of the largest multi-sport, multi-physical disability competitions in the nation. In 2014, the UCO Endeavor Games was awarded the Rings of Gold award from the United States Olympic Committee. It was during this assembly that talks were had about offering the Endeavor Games in more communities. It had become evident that there was a growing need for a cohesive regional and national event system. There were and continue to be events similar to the Endeavor Games throughout the United States, but all work separately with sometimes different systems and structures in place. The model of the UCO Endeavor Games has proven to be successful in providing a high standard of competition where Paralympic, emerging and novice athletes can compete together in the same venue at the same time. The need for streamlined sporting competitions across the United States was needed and UCO was ready to take the next step. With that, in 2017 the Endeavor Games was created. The Turnstone Endeavor Games in Fort Wayne, Indiana were added in April and the UCO Endeavor Games were held in June.
The symbol of the Endeavor Games has become affectionately known as the "arrow man," but the true meaning is much more. During the creative phase, it was determined the symbol needed to demonstrate strength, forward growth and empowerment. In 2000, the word Endeavor was chosen because of its definition as an "activity directed towards a goal." A common synonym for endeavor is "to aim" and it was determined "arrow man" did just that; demonstrating forward direction and movement. The Endeavor Symbol consists of two elements in blue and green. The blue symbolizes one of the colors of the University of Central Oklahoma (bronze and blue) and one of the colors of Turnstone in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the first organization to embrace the Endeavor Games movement. The green pays tribute to the first year of the Endeavor Games where it was the original color used.
