The 163 athletes at Renaissance Park on St. Croix Saturday couldn’t all be winners, but they gave it their best shot in the Special Olympics Territorial games.
One little boy even set off the wrong way in a foot race, but he had a winning smile after he got turned around and crossed the finish line.
“Let me win, but if I can’t let me brave in the attempt,” yelled the athletes in the Special Olympics oath led by Mark Vinzant, a past director of Special Olympics.
The territorial games, which weren’t held the past four years because of lack of funding, were attended by athletes from the territory who placed in the regular games held on March 20 on St. Croix and on St. Thomas March 27. There were 31 athletes with chaperones who came from St. Thomas to take part.
“This is a good experience for the athletes to get together with new people from St. Thomas,” said Janice Lee, director of Special Olympics. Lee said it was the 33rd year for the games on St. Croix and over the years she has seen attitudes change about people with disabilities. She said more and more parents of children with disabilities are giving their kids the chance to participate in sports.
“It is good to see people get their children out and not just keep them at home all the time,” Lee said.
Claude Allan, who had just finished the five-meter run, said he loved being in the Olympics and doing sports.
“It is great for me to go out of my house and do sports,” Allan said. “I like basketball best.”
Gov. John deJongh Jr. was on hand for the opening march of athletes around the track led by the St. Croix Central High School Jr. ROTC color guard and local officials. He was cheering the athletes on and congratulating runners at the finish line of the foot races and at the sidelines of the long jump.
There was a lot of action on the basketball court where big guys did foul shots and dribbled around cones. Three boys took part in wheelchair races with a little help from volunteers and cheers from fans at the finish line. There were foot races, standing long jump, tennis, softball toss and new this year was bocce ball. All of the participants took home ribbons and medals for their efforts.
Some of the sponsors for the Olympics were Diageo, Benton Construction, the Departments of Human Services, Housing Parks and Recreation, and St. Thomas Dinner and a Cause.
