Athletes compete in Summer Special Olympics

More than 1,500 athletes and 2,000 volunteers participated in the 2008 Summer Games for Special Olympics this past weekend at Cal State Long Beach.
    Athletes competed for the opportunity to win gold, silver and bronze medals in aquatics, athletics, basketball, bocce, golf, gymnastics and tennis.
    “Summer Games is a great community event that not only showcases our talented athletes but provides a fun environment for families to enjoy sports competition, games, and live entertainment, with no cost for admission,” said Bill Shumard, CEO and President for Special Olympics Southern California in a prepared statement.
    Friday’s opening ceremony included the lighting of the cauldron by a law enforcement officer and an athlete. For the first time, the central Law Enforcement Torch Run route brought the “Flame of Hope” by boat across the Los Angeles-Long Beach Channel.
    Los Angeles Police Department Officer Gus Martinez and his son Jason, a Special Olympics athlete, escorted the torch mid-channel and handed it off to another athlete, David Saunders and his father, Jim. More than 3,500 law enforcement officers throughout Southern California participated in the Olympic-style torch relay, carrying the Flame of Hope more than 1,500 miles.
    “My favorite thing about swimming is the freestyle and backstroke,” said Susan Johnson, a competitor in swimming. In the past Johnson has competed in tennis, but switched to swimming for the last three years due to an injury.
    Johnson is also a presidential global messenger. Only 12 athletes are selected from all over the world to serve as International Global Messengers, representing the Special Olympics. Athletes who have gone through Global Messenger training act as spokespeople for Special Olympics’ programs around the world. Johnson said she honored to be one of them and will serve a two-year term.
    “I always tell Susan you can do anything you want to do,” said Johnson’s coach, Delores Berinti. Berinti has been coaching for 15 years and coaching Johnson for seven of those years. “She is positive, she’s upbeat, and she is willing to try to do anything” Berinti said.
    Berinti explained that through the Special Olympics, Johnson has been exercising more and working harder towards her goals. “Her influence on others is more positive,” Berinti said.
    Nannt Clark, another swimming competitor won a gold medal on Saturday competing in the 50-meter breaststroke.
 “My mom put me in the water when I was two years old, and I’ve been swimming ever since,” Clark said.
    Clark has been competing in the Special Olympics for 19 years.
 “It’s about setting my goals, it’s not so much the competition against other people it’s beating my own personal time,” Clark said.
    Clark took off a second from her old time on Saturday and was gleaming with pride. “I swim for my stepmom who has pancreatic cancer, she is my inspiration,” Clark said. 
    Charles Johnson competed in the basketball division. He has been on the Summer Special Olympics Long Beach Basketball team for one year.
    “I like to play basketball and I like my team,” Johnson said.
    “My favorite thing to see is the interaction between the players; it’s definitely one of a kind,” said Ashley Wayland, head coach of the Long Beach basketball team. Wayland has been coaching Special Olympics for six years.
    “In no other sport will you see athletics helping other athlete’s even on the other team to succeed,” Wayland said.
           “I have been volunteering for 40 years at the special Olympics,” said Elyse Garcia, area director of Long Beach for Special Olympics Southern California. Garcia’s mother was one of the original founders making the event important for her family “That’s where I met my husband,” Garcia said.
     “I’m a rock star,” said Sandra Adams when receiving her silver medal for running the 50-meter run.