Expecting 10 to 12 medals at the most, V.I. Special Olympics officials said they were more than pleased Tuesday with the 25 total awards their athletes ended up accumulating over the past few weeks at the World Games in Greece.
Entering the terminal Tuesday at the Cyril E. King Airport as they arrived home, the athletes showed their pride, with the gold “blinging” across their chests. Nathan Edwards, who picked up four medals in the power lifting competition, was the first to reach family as the delegation touched down and received an emotional welcome from his mother Eualine Charles.
"I’m proud, very proud of him," after she embraced her son. "I was so excited to see him come through the gates, it brought tears to my eyes."
The team of V.I. special athletes finished the games with eight gold medals, three silver and 14 bronze, plus one fourth-place, five fifth-place, two sixth-place, and six eighth-place ribbons. Along with power lifting, the team finished strong in track and field and swimming.
"It was a wonderful experience for the kids," said V.I. Special Olympic coach Carol Mestemaker. "Most of us have never been over to Europe like this and to see another culture, while being with thousands of other athletes was great. The games were also put on well, it was well divisioned, and we had been training for about a year for it, so I think that it really paid off — every event had someone from the Virgin Islands that won."
The delegation’s bowling team was hoping for a stronger finish, but coach Edwin Forbes said he was still "pleased" with the results, considering that his athletes had no local bowling alley at which to practice and kept having to fly over to Tortola to use the lanes.
"I believe all the traveling we had to do to the BVI to practice was well worth it, because all my athletes bowled beyond their average," Forbes said.
Forbes said the team could have scored higher if the St. Thomas bowling alley was still open.
"If the alley was still open, I think we could have done better, but I am happy, because all the athletes in bowling, this is their first time in this kind of competitive situation."
Along with the medals, the delegation also returned with fond memories of their trip.
"We went to the Acropolis, we got to tour, we got to be with people from other countries, so it was a great experience for the kids," Mestemaker said.
Forbes said the territory, like all the other countries, was given a host in Greece, who showed the team everything from flea markets to the best sidewalk cafes.
"It was just excellent," Forbes said. "All the other countries wanted to know who the Virgin Islands was, since they’d never heard of us before. We actually ran out of pins, everyone wanted to exchange pins with us."
While the next World Games is four years away, members of the delegation said the next step is to pick back up on their training.
"We had excellent support from the community, which allowed the athletes to train, and the training has paid off tremendously — 25 medals along with certain ribbons — and we could not appreciate more what we received," said Archie Jennings. "I think we did a very good job, the athletes were perfect, and the coaches that went with them give a lot of support. We’re looking forward to doing it again in the next four years."
