![]() ![]() The Special Olympics World Games are the beneficiary this year of a wonderful reception in Connecticut. He adds, however, that some of the athletes own impressive performances, from 11.2 seconds in the 100 meters to roughly 4 minutes in the 1,500. ''We don't keep world records,'' says Thomas Songster, director of sports and recreation at Special Olympics International. The Special Olympics were the inspiration of Eunice Kennedy Shriver some 30 years ago and have grown from a two-sport competition in 1968 to 19 sports today, including powerlifting, gymnastics, and charter entries swimming and track and field.Īmong firsts this year are sailing and golf, plus a marathon on Sunday. His involvement in Special Olympics is the most rewarding thing he's ever done: ''They know you're there to help them,'' he says of the young athletes in his charge. The Kentucky players were given a police escort to the airport, with a few sirens to clear fans at the start of their journey.Įarl Sullivan, a factory materials coordinator and volunteer softball coach with players on the soccer team, wouldn't have missed any of this, he says, even though he has no children participating. ''Seeing them happy, seeing their younger brother jealous'' is the payoff for another beaming mother, who says this is a chance for these youngsters to shine. ''This is where they develop friendships.''Īnother parent is thrilled to report that two of the players on the coed squad attended their high school prom together. ''Most of them have no social life outside an activity like this,'' one mother replies. What do their children gain from Special Olympics, these Kentucky rooters are asked. ![]() At these Olympics, every athlete is encouraged, no national anthems are played, no drug tests are administered, everyone goes home with a ribbon or medal, and hugs and high-fives are the dominant language. These parents have seen their children join the 7,200 athletes medically diagnosed as mentally retarded from 140 countries who have gathered here for perhaps the world's foremost feel-good sports festival. LATE one afternoon, with the ninth Special Olympics World Games in full swing on Yale University's sprawling sports complex, a small but vocal cheering section from Kentucky is approached for a few comments after a Kentucky-vs.- Zimbabwe soccer game. From the Jissue of The Christian Science Monitor ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |