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They came to race, but winning was the last thing on their minds.
“They” were the three All-Star athletes who participated in the Special Olympics 1999 State Winter Games. On March 22 and 23, these three athletes joined 200 other special education students from around the state on the slopes of Big Mountain to participate in slalom, giant slalom and downhill races.
“All the kids that raced, no matter what they did — if they fell, they got up and made it to the bottom still smiling,” said junior Nate Nelson, one of the 14 FHS volunteers who accompanied the All-Star students. “They were happy to go down through the course and no matter what they did they were all winners. They were all real positive towards each other. It wasn’t competitive … it was just encouraging — a real positive atmosphere.”
The disabilities of the participants gave them an unexpected advantage: they were much more interested in seeing how much their skiing had improved on an individual basis than how they compared to their peers.
The races were simply “to show how much they had accomplished from last year — to see how much they had progressed,” said senior Courtney Fischer. “A few of the little kids could remember their times from last year and wanted to improve this year.”
Participants in the races were given one practice run in the morning prior to the commencement of the races after lunch. Due to the sheer number of racers, it took two days for all the participants to do their events. Senior Barbara Lockhart participated in the novice events that were set up on chair six while seniors Sara Maldonado and Kevin Bolme did the intermediate events on chair three.
“These kids can ski by themselves, but they’re just starting out and are a little afraid to go fast,” said Nelson.
The races were concluded with a dance the evening of March 22, which the FHS volunteers made time to attend in their busy schedules.
“It was one of those things where it didn’t matter how you looked, how you danced, how you acted … it was just the fact that you had fun,” said Fischer.
“I’m not embarrassed to be around them. They’re just a little bit slower than us. I’m not afraid to be seen around a physically challenged person.”
Yet the experience doesn’t end there. This day at the races was also about a change of perspective on the part of the volunteers who attended. Junior Ryan Bartholomew originally signed up simply to get out of school but made a discovery that would forever alter his perception of the people he helped.
“It was rewarding helping kids that aren’t as fortunate, accepting them for who they are,” said Nelson. “It’s a great experience. I think everybody should get out and experience it for themselves. People shouldn’t judge them by what they are but who they are.” |
