|
Athletes invited to Special Olympics kickoff event March 19
By Carey King
“This is my inspiration, and he’s been with me a while,” said Sylva’s Pat Beasley, motioning to her 29-year-old son.
Jason Hedrick is developmentally disabled. He spends his days working at Western Carolina University’s Dodson Cafeteria and his free time playing just about every sport you can think of.
He’s done basketball. He’s done skiing. He’s done track and field.
Aspiring athletes are invited to participate in Special Olympics Jackson County’s organizing event Saturday, March 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. In addition to pizza, snacks and drinks, there’ll be basketball – passing, dribbling and shooting – bowling, walking and putt-putt golf. Interim coordinator Pat Beasley, right, and son Jason Hedrick said they’re looking forward to meeting some new faces. – Herald photo by Carey King
When he decided about this time last year it was time to try golf, Beasley’s inspiration kicked in. Up until then, she’d been able to find coaches for her son, but with golf lessons, had no such luck.
“We started inquiring, and lo and behold, found out there were no golf courses in the area for him,” Beasley said.
Rather than bemoan the situation, Beasley and Hedrick took action. Now the two are working to bring Special Olympics back to Jackson County.
A “committee of concerned citizens” is also helping work toward the goal – a group that includes representatives from the Jackson County Recreation Department, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Sylva Police Department, Western Carolina University, PATHWAYS and Stepping Out.
“We have had numerous folks from the community step forward and say, ‘Yes, I want to help with that,’” said Beasley, now called the “interim coordinator” of Special Olympics Jackson County. “If you know of someone who wants to come next time, bring ‘em on. We’re just a group of interested individuals.”
Special Olympics got its start in 1963 when Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of John and Robert Kennedy, organized the first International Special Olympics Games in Chicago. The event was inspired by their sister, Rosemary, who’d been born with mental retardation.
Since that date, about one million athletes in more than 150 countries worldwide have participated in the Special Olympics movement. In the time since North Carolina held its first event in Burlington in 1970, the state group has grown to include nearly 37,000 athletes, a level earning North Carolina the distinction of being the largest Special Olympics program in North America and the fifth-largest in the world.
The state games include 19 sports ranging from aquatics to bocce to cycling, floor hockey, gymnastics, power lifting, softball, tennis, golf, roller-skating, volleyball, basketball, equestrian, soccer, bowling, alpine skiing, figure skating, speed skating, and track and field.
The activity list for Special Olympics Jackson County has not yet grown quite so long, but Beasley and other organizers are planning to offer basketball – dribbling, shooting and passing – bowling, walking and putt-putt golf at an organizing event planned for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at the Recreation Center in Cullowhee.
There’ll also be pizza, snacks and drinks, and Beasley hopes to use the day to build momentum for Special Olympics games to come.
“We’re hoping that by the summer we can offer more events,” she said.
It will most probably be 2006 before a Jackson County delegation attends statewide competition, but Beasley said that four coaches have already volunteered for the local effort. The Recreation Department and the WCU athletic department have also been especially helpful, she said.
While there will be a little volunteer-recruiting at the March 19 event, the day is primarily for athletes, Beasley said. Organizers are trying to get the word out, especially to adults with developmental disabilities.
Special Olympics is for both adults and children, age 8 and up, with mental retardation. The state organization is also working to develop a “play activities” program for 6- and 7-year-olds, Beasley said.
In the meantime, while his mother organizes meetings and agendas and planning committees, Hedrick is preparing for just one aspect of competition: time on the green.
“He just got a new putter,” said Beasley.
“But she won’t let me play in the house,” the aspiring golfer replied.
|
