By Stephen Kindland
Staff writer
ORANGE PARK – More than 250 Clay County athletes from junior and senior high schools threw tennis balls, jumped into sand pits and guided their wheelchairs through slalom courses during the first portion of a redesigned 2010 Special Olympics.
Olympics coordinator Ronna Smith said this year’s event at Ridgeview High School is being held on separate days for secondary and elementary school students to help minimize the chaos inherent with track and field meets.
"It’s getting a lot better every year because of the feedback we get from parents," Smith said on Friday, March 5 as three students took their places on a nearby medal stand. "Our athletes have a harder time waiting for their events [than general population students] because they have intellectual challenges."
Rain washed out the elementary school Olympics last week. The games have been rescheduled for Friday, March 19.
Though the Olympics has the word "special" in its title, the event has succeeded in helping general population students to see that aside from limited mental capacities, learning disabilities or other disorders, Special Olympics athletes are the same as everyone else.
"That’s what we need, to replace the ‘r’ word with another word: respect," Smith said. "It’s about getting acceptance."
That seemed to be the case with Lauren Eakin, a personable 19-year-old who captured third place with a personal best time in the 25-meter wheelchair slalom.
"I’m very visually impaired, but this year it wasn’t too hard," Eakins said as passers-by hugged and congratulated her. "I’ve been doing a lot of practicing."
Perhaps no other group at Ridgeview High School has helped to mainstream special needs students more than the Spirit Club, a group of basketball players, wrestlers, Drama Club members and other students who have been teaching special needs students how to line dance and play different roles in skits they create. Club members also have taken them to basketball games and this year’s homecoming football game after treating them to a tailgate party.
Drama teacher Lindsay McDade said her students feel uplifted after spending time with special needs students after school hours.
"They want [special needs students] to know that there’s more to high school than what they see until they leave at 1:30 in the afternoon," McDade said. "It’s a great experience for everyone."
Jannette Branham, mother of Special Olympics long jumper Sherilyn Walker, has nothing but praise for the Spirit Club and Ridgeview High’s overall efforts to better integrate the two groups.
"It’s a very interactive campus," Branham said. "Whenever students see Sherilyn between classes, they always say hi to her. That means the world to the mother of a special needs child."