Special Olympics brings out best

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| Saturday, May 8, 2004 10:11 PM CDT | () comments

Mary Louise Speer

The medals hanging around athletes' necks shone as brightly as the midday sun during Saturday's Special Olympics Area 4 Track and Field Competition at Augustana College, Rock Island.

Events ranged from wheelchair races and slaloms, tennis and softball throws, running and walking events, to the long jump, shot put and 10-meter assisted walk.

Joan Most, part of the Galesburg Cyclones/Hawthorne Terrace team, was one of many who were thrilled to see the sunshine.

"I'm excited and I'm excited to run and happy that I'm going for the gold in the 50-yard dash," she said. "Last year, we didn't go because it was raining."

The 376 athletes participating in Special Olympics face a variety of physical and mental challenges in their daily lives. But participating in the track and field events at Ericson Field Stadium brings out the smiles and hope of being among the best � or if not � to become athletes learning to be brave and show good sportsmanship.

District IV covers much of western Illinois from Galesburg in Knox County to Carthage in Hancock County at the southern boundaries, said Cathy Betar, the area director.

Cris Villasenor, a fourth-grade student from the Rock Island Interdistrict team of high school, junior high and elementary school athletes, and teammate Zach Jensen, 8, held the wheel-mounted grips on their wheelchairs before the start of the 25-meter wheelchair race.

Both kids have cerebral palsy, said coach Mary Boehm.

"Racing," is Cris' favorite course of action and he had already won a gold medal in the softball throw earlier in the day. He practiced for both events during his adapted gym class at Eugene Field Elementary School in Rock Island, she said.

Boehm deeply appreciates the special efforts of Cris' family and all the athlete's families in bringing the students to Augustana. School notices about upcoming events must be translated into Spanish. Cris' mother must lift him into the family's vehicle and store the wheelchair before going anywhere.

"He's a good kid, a good student and he always has a big smile on his face which I really like," she said.

Cris' smile flashed when he crossed the finish line at 16.69 seconds with Zach and another competitor close behind. Coming in first in the wheelchair race means he is going onto the June 11-13 state competition in Bloomington.

Zach's family cheered as he received a participant's ribbon.

"Look, look, my sister's going to be happy. My first throw was the longest throw," cheered Donna Sharp from Smith Square of Moline. She took first place honors in the tennis ball throw for hurling the ball 8.1 meters.

Running Special Olympics requires dozens of volunteers to do everything from fixing hundreds of lunches for athletes to monitoring events. Helpers measuring the men's tennis ball toss had to duck out of the way of some green projectiles lobbed a bit too close.

Melissa Wood, a first-time participant and junior at United Township High School, or UTHS, in East Moline, showed her sports moxie as "kicker" in the 4-by-100 relay.

"It was great," she said.

This year, UTHS had 24 athletes participating in almost all of the events.

"They love this. They have been anticipating this (day) from the first practice," said Diane Markin, UTHS' assistant coach.

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