|
news:
Special Olympics
concludes on high note
By Mike Haubrich
On-line Summer Forty-Niner
The 32nd Annual
Special Olympics Summer Games concluded Sunday after three
days of festivities and competitions involving close to 4,000
athletes, coaches and volunteers.
Rafer Johnson,
one of SOSC's founders and chairman of the board of governors,
was pleased at Cal State Long Beach's effort in putting on
this year's Games.
"We had a
very good weekend," said Johnson, who won a gold medal
in the decathlon for the United States at the 1960 Summer
Olympics. "There was plenty of support from the people
on campus and the local citizens, and some tremendous volunteers.
This was one of our more successful competitions."
This marked the
third consecutive year CSULB had hosted the event.
Medals were handed
out to the top three finishers in each event, with ribbons
of achievement going to the other finishers.
"I loved it,"
an excited Renee Rhodes said after finishing first with the
Roadrunners basketball squad. "We got the gold, and I'm
happy."
John Evans, Rhodes's
teammate, was also sporting a gold medal.
"If we didn't
win," Evans said, as he echoed the Special Olympics motto,
"we would have been brave in the attempt."
Pat Whitsoch, volunteer
coach of the Roadrunners, left the Games impressed.
"It was our
first time here, and it was wonderful," Whitsoch said.
"We were treated really well."
Volunteers seemed
as numerous as athletes. Kevin Booker and Norma Alaniz, two
such volunteers, seemed truly inspired by the athletes.
"You see the
same spirit whether (the athletes) are young or old,"
Booker said. "The smiles from these people are awesome."
Added Alaniz: "It's
great to see the pride and determination on their faces when
they cross the finish line."
Although not every
competitor walked away with a gold medal, it was difficult
to tell the winners from the losers.
One example was
Michael Garcia, who finished second in the 400-meter walk
-- the final event in this year's Games.
As he crossed the
finish line, an exhausted Garcia dropped to his knees and
was met by a few dozen wellwishers. Garcia rose, and as he
left the course he was embraced by his tearful mother, Rosalinda
Campillo.
"It was an
overwhelming feeling," Garcia said. "Even though
I finished second, it felt (like I won)."
Other prominent
participants besides Johnson included legendary former UCLA
basketball coach John Wooden, and Dennis Tito, a private citizen
who recently returned from a journey into space with a Russian
cosmonaut crew.
|
