Dispatch from a Special Olympics volunteer

Dispatch from a Special Olympics volunteer

Something to cheer about
by Craig Weidemann, vice president for Outreach

The months of planning came together on Thursday (June 3) as the first busloads of athletes arrived on campus for the 35th consecutive Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Summer Games held at Penn State. That evening, as I stood with 2,000 athletes who proudly wore their county's colors as they recited the Special Olympics oath, I felt a surge of pure energy, not only from the athletes, but from the volunteers of all ages who turn out each year to make the Summer Games memorable.

This year, I was invited to join the Statewide Board of Directors of Special Olympics, and I also joined the SOPA Summer Games board. It was my job to recruit volunteers from the University. In this process, I met many caring people who devote time all year long to this event, and I gained an appreciation for the effort it takes more than 2,000 volunteers to move a small army of athletes, with all their gear, to feed them, transport them, time meets, referee games, provide emergency services and build albums full of memories. This weekend, I had an opportunity to visit many of the venues, and everywhere I turned, I could see the tremendous outpouring of support.

From the beginning of the Opening Ceremonies, led by super-volunteer Sue Paterno, the sheer joy and power of the volunteers who built and supported the Summer Games was evident -- from security, to coaches, to guides, to residence hall monitors.

Olympic Village is powered completely by volunteers. Athletes made jewelry, threw Frisbees, watched clowns and had a chance to receive cost-free medical attention. One athlete who has limited means attended the Healthy Eyes clinic and will receive new glasses to correct an astigmatism that has been affecting her ability to compete.

When the athletics events were moved into the Multi-Sports Center because of rain, I spoke with the mother of an athlete entered into the 50-meter walk. She was enthusiastic about the care given her autistic son by the volunteers, saying that she had doubted whether her son could stay in the lane without her encouragement, but that they kept him focused, allowing him to complete the race without wandering from the lane. Meanwhile, down on the track, high-performing athletes were lining up for the 500-meter race. They were superbly conditioned and ran far better than I could have, and at the end of the race, as they caught their breath, they gave each other high fives for the joy of the competition.

I met volunteers from all over Pennsylvania and from all backgrounds -- from Army reservists, to students, to a telecommunications professional, to a retired professor. Regardless of their backgrounds, the volunteers were all touched by the focus, commitment and pride of the athletes. The scope of the Summer Games is enormous, but the outcome is measured in individual contributions and interactions. This may have been my first year, but I'm already starting to plan for 2005.

For pictures of the action, visit http://live.psu.edu/still_life/2004_06_07_specialolympics/index.html and http://live.psu.edu/still_life/2004_06_04_specialolympics/index.html