Special
olympians meet at The Beach
By
Patrick Creaven
Summer Forty-Niner
Sports Editor
Athletes from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and the Arizona border congregated
at Cal State Long Beach to participate in the Southern California Special Olympics
last weekend.
From the lighting of the torch during the opening ceremony Friday to the release
of doves at the closing ceremony Sunday, about 1,500 athletes braved the hot
temperatures and competed in aquatics, basketball, bocce, golf, gymnastics
and tennis.
Although the events were competitive, the goal of the staff was to make sure
every athlete left CSULB a winner.
“We’re not so worried about who wins and who loses,” said Special
Olympics Vice President of Sports Programs Jan Palchikoff. “We want to
instill good habits for our athletes and give them a chance to build on old and
new friendships.”
In 1963, Eunice Shriver started the Special Olympics to give people with disabilities
an opportunity to participate in sports and to reap the benefits of physical
exercise.
The first Western Regional Special Olympics were held in 1969, and in 1995,
the Southern California Special Olympics was founded. For the past eight years
CSULB has hosted the event.
“We are very thankful to Long Beach State for its participation in Special
Olympics,” Palchikoff said. “We can’t do it without them.”
Roughly 3,000 volunteers helped during the three-day event and did everything
from passing out water to assisting the athletes during the events.
“I’ve talked with staff and volunteers who have been doing this for
25 years, and they say this has been the best-run Olympics ever,” Palchikoff
said.
Southern California police departments, which have traditionally been big supporters
of the Special Olympics, raised a record $701,000 for the event. The police
departments facilitated three separate torch runs that met at CSULB Friday.
“Getting involved with the Special Olympics is great for the officers and
the athletes,” said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Hennessey. “It
gives us a chance to get involved in the community and raise money for a good
cause.”
Megan Rowe, who graduated from the sport management department at CSULB in
2004, is a sport manager for the Special Olympics and helped coordinate the
track and field events.
“This is one of the best weekends of the year,” Rowe said. “You
never get used to the look on the kids faces when they get their medal. It’s
very rewarding.”
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