Olympic Report

The Special Olympics were great. It was a perfect day -- clear but not too hot. Maggie had her game face on and was ready for action.

The stadium was full of hundreds of people, mostly school kids competing in one event or another. There is a high ratio of adults to kids in special ed, so there were plenty of teachers, therapists, aides, parents, nurses and other folks around as well. It always amazes me to see the level of dedication in the people who work with kids with special needs.

Maggie’s name was not on the slalom list and she did not get to compete in that event. That was a bummer because her friend Jordan was going to push her. Both girls were disappointed, but honestly, I was a little bit relieved. It is very easy to tip Maggie’s chair over and, in the excitement of the race, that was a distinct possibility.
The power chair race was another story. Maggie competed in this event last year when it took her at least 5 minutes to go the 20 yards. This year she did it in about two minutes. All the competitors did it in about 15 seconds, so Maggie was the last one out there, but that made everyone yell for her even more. Here she is approaching the finish line.

Every time I go to Special Olympics, something really gets to me. Yesterday was no exception. There was a manual chair race with kids who could propel themselves. This is incredibly difficult for these kids. They are not in chairs because an accident affected their ability to walk. The most common reason is cerebral palsy or something similar that affects the entire body, not just the legs. One young guy was out there moving himself forward very slowly and deliberately. I could see the concentration and pride. It made me a little teary, but I was shouting as loud as everyone else was as he neared the finish line.

I have to admit, the day was hard for me. Maggie’s challenges are just part of the fabric of our day, but seeing her out there with her true peers somehow brought the whole weight of this down on me. It was as though I was looking at my life through a different set of eyes.I am so proud of Maggie. She has accomplished far more than I ever anticipated she would given her physical and medical limitations. But you know what? It is a lot to deal with and occasionally I realize that.