Special Olympics Regional Track Meet  – May 11, 2019 – written by Kailyn Broad (Open Event Writer)

The day arrived for Open Families to volunteer for Special Olympics. We drove up into Amador Valley High School where the field was set for all the exciting events that the athletes were going to participate in. We were stationed to help at the track and field event center. We got our instructions and the day began. 

You could feel the excitement from the special Olympic athletes. Many people were clapping and the athletes were all excited for the day, just like us.  We waited to get assigned our athlete.  

Our first athlete was in his twenties with a skip in his step.  We walked him to his first event which was the slingshot. He got five tries to get the slingshot as far as he could.  Each try he would have the biggest smile on his face and was so proud of himself. We cheered him on. 

After his event, we accompanied him to the awards ceremony and applauded his accomplishments as a volunteer placed a metal around his neck. 

I knew that today was going to be a special day connecting with people that are courageous heroes. We were shown how anything is possible if you set your mind to it. What a great day to join these athletes and help them in all the fun events.

Who was at  the event benefit?
Special Olympics Northern California enriches the lives of more than 22,780 children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their communities in Northern California through sports, education, and athlete health. Please see their website for more information:
https://www.sonc.org/