Teams of eight will strap in and haul three trucks across the pavement at Cowabunga Bay this Saturday as Special Olympics Nevada stages its third annual Truck Pull, a fundraiser that pits law enforcement, corrections officers, and community squads against each other for bragging rights and a good cause. The event kicks off at 10 a.m. at the Henderson water park, with registration running $280 per team or $35 per person, and families can take part in free activities like trunk-or-treat and children's games while the competition unfolds.
According to FOX5 Las Vegas, the event is hosted by Shawn Tempesta and features the Nevada Department of Corrections and North Las Vegas Police competing alongside Special Olympics athletes. The City of North Las Vegas Police Department is competing this year
. Proceeds from the pull go toward Special Olympics Nevada's sports, education, athlete leadership, and health programs for people with intellectual disabilities, the station's report notes.
A Water Park Built for a Big Pull
Cowabunga Bay, the 23-acre surf-themed water park at 900 Galleria Drive in Henderson, has hosted the event since it launched. Per the Las Vegas Sun, the park opened in July 2014 and boasts Nevada's longest lazy river along with more than 25 water slides and attractions. The Truck Pull is presented by Cowabunga Bay, the Nevada Department of Corrections, and North Las Vegas Police, with additional support from local businesses, per the same account.
A Decades-Old Movement Behind the Fundraiser
The Truck Pull is one local expression of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, a movement founded in 1981 in Wichita, Kansas, by Police Chief Richard LaMunyon that has grown globally as a fundraising effort, according to the Law Enforcement Torch Run. The movement engages law enforcement officers around the globe who carry the Flame of Hope to support Special Olympics athletes. Just weeks before the Truck Pull, Special Olympics Nevada and Southern Nevada law enforcement carried that same flame along the Fremont Street Experience during the Downtown Las Vegas Torch Run on September 18, part of the annual Torch Run series organized by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Where the Money Actually Goes
Special Olympics Nevada currently provides year-round sports, health, education, and leadership development programs free of charge to more than 2,600 children and adults with intellectual disabilities across the state, according to Special Olympics Nevada.
Special Olympics Nevada's health programming includes the Healthy Athletes initiative.
Special Olympics Nevada is working to send Team Nevada to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. The Truck Pull supports the organization's year-round programs.
