As the shot rang from the starter pistol, the staggered line of four runners jolted to a sprint. At 60 years old with a mental disability, Dennis Williamson led the 4×100 relay, baton in hand and ready to pass it on to the next teammate.
Williamson, along with more than 1,100 fellow athletes, competed at the 42nd annual Special Olympics of Southern California (SOSC) on Saturday at Cal State Long Beach. More than 6,000 attended the event, including volunteers, coaches, athletes and the general public.
Volunteers, including KTLA, Vons and celebrity appearances, including “The Ringer” star Johnny Knoxville, showed support during the games.
The event started with an opening ceremony on Saturday at 10 a.m. with athletes from 11 different counties, including San Diego, Ventura, Tri Valley, San Luis Obispo and Southeast Los Angeles among others.
The parade of athletes followed the Long Beach State Spirit team and the Lakers Girls around the track and onto the field where the SOSC founder, 1955 and 1960 decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson, declared the commencement of the games.
Williamson is part of the East San Gabriel Valley team, directed by mother-daughter team Gigi and Ruth Gaskin. One of Williamson’s many strengths is team spirit. He was able to rally up his teammates and influence the coaches during practice and Saturday’s events.
“His enthusiasm keeps the team alive,” East San Gabriel Coach Margi Schreurs said. “You can see their energy levels…when we’re down, the athletes pump us up.”
Athletes competed in six sports, including track and field, aquatics, gymnastics, basketball, bocce and golf. Each county had its own team with its own set of volunteer coaches.
Events consisted of heats categorized in age groups. The SOSC is all-ages, where the youngest age allowed is eight years old with no other age limits, meaning competitors as old as 80 can compete.
“It has to do with their health … if the doctor gives them the O.K.,” Williamson’s sister, Cheryl Henry, said.
Williamson has been competing in the SOSC for over 30 years, Schreurs said. He has been involved with the program shortly after it started in 1969.
Henry has attended the events in support of her brother ever since she was a teenager. She was often seen running alongside Williamson in his track and field events.
“It’s a moving experience for me,” Henry said. “It brings back all the memories.”
While athletes were aware that they were competing against each other, a comradery existed among the opponents. After placing fifth out of six in the 50 meter dash, Williamson found time to smile and high-five his components.
“They want to be here,” Schreurs said. “There are no behavior problems.”
On Saturday, Williamson also competed in the 50 meter dash and shot put. His team won first place in the relay with a time of 1 minute, 2 seconds. He also scored first place in the shot put with his best distance of 5.96 meters.
“Dennis is a good guy…he’s a competitor…he does his best and never has an attitude,” East San Gabriel Coach Mike Goodwin said. “He’s one of the leaders of the team.”