Last year, I approached a Special Olympics coach about the possibility of my girls participating in their swimming program. We were excited when the girls started Challenger swim, a program for children and young adults with special needs offered through the YMCA, later that year. The YMCA offers the Challenger program to the community and strives to pair a buddy with each athlete to help develop the skills, facilitate the sport and provide a consistent face of support to those with special needs. There were two sessions of swim lessons with each session lasting 6-8 weeks. The Challenger season flowed right into Special Olympics swim practice which began in February.
The last weekend in May, the University of Missouri – Columbia hosted the 2014 Special Olympics State Summer Games. Here, over 2,500 athletes participated in volleyball, track and field, power lifting, bowling, basketball and swimming. That Friday evening, we attended the opening ceremonies that included a parade of athletes, a speech from Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, a performance from tribute band Almost KISS, and numerous law enforcement agencies presenting the colors for the event.
The Star-Spangled Banner was sung by a Special Olympics athlete, and the torch arrived via mounted police – ending a thousand mile relay by lighting the cauldron ahead of the weekend of competition.
The athletes pledged the athlete’s oath …
… which highlighted something that was abundant throughout these State Games: positive intentions. Coaches, athletes, unified partners and parents were witness to the amazing skills each individual possesses. Events and organizations like the Special Olympics promote acceptance, inclusion and community.
Volunteers – loads of volunteers – were everywhere helping the events run as smoothly as possible by directing families and participants to the right venue. Some athletes stayed in dorms on MU’s campus; ours stayed with us in the hotel this year. Those athletes staying in the dorms are responsible for meeting their coaches on their own, having all of their own equipment, and demonstrating far more independence than I am willing to let my children demonstrate just yet. 😉
I cannot sing enough praises of our teammates, coaches, volunteers and parents. The amount of time and passion the coaches pour into each athlete’s success is unwavering. Their commitment allows my girls to be brave in their attempt and proud of their achievements (both earned gold medals in their events).
Softball is up next – I think we might give that a swing …