OKLAHOMA CITY — Athletes are descending on the Oklahoma City metro for the twenty sixth Annual Special Olympics Oklahoma Winter Games.
Thousands of them are competing over the following few days, aiming for the gold medal, however the video games and competitors are about greater than that. The glory comes from inside.
“Making friendships,” Diane Cunningham mentioned. “Because I’ve actually made a lot of friendships.”
Cunningham has competed in the Special Olympics for 27 years. She has completed quite a lot of sports activities, however her important focus is aggressive swimming.
“I actually get into the zone similar to like how Michael Phillips listens to music,” Cunningham mentioned. “Just one race at a time.”
Cunningham and almost 2,000 others are competing this yr. They all certified for the Winter Games in basketball, unified bowling, swimming, and unified volleyball.
It is an opportunity to indicate the world what they’ll do.
“I can show my skills and then for being in Winter Games, other people can see that people with disabilities, they can do anything they want,” Cunningham mentioned.
And persevere. she mentioned, it doesn’t matter what different individuals say.
“I’ve had people telling me no, you can’t do this. No, you can’t do that. And then I’ll prove them. Yes, I can,” Cunningham mentioned. “It’s teamwork, leadership, working together. Like one of our old coaches used to do Lane leaders. So, depending on the person, if they know how to swim a certain stroke, they teach the other athletes, okay, this is how you do it. This is not how you do it.”
Over the previous a number of years, the pandemic hit Special Olympics Oklahoma arduous, forcing spectators from the stands. This yr, nonetheless, issues are completely different.
“We’re coming back, we’re coming back strong,” John Seals, VP of Sports and Training, mentioned.
Seals mentioned it would appear like a combat for the highest step on the rostrum, however it’s a lot completely different on the within.
“They learn the confidence and know so many of our athletes get a job, and their parents will tell us, you know, we’ve never seen them being able to work, but through their Special Olympics experiences, they’ve gained the confidence to go out on their own and do something. And they find a job,” Seals mentioned. “I mean, it really is life-changing.”
Special Olympics Oklahoma advantages greater than 12,000 individuals with mental disabilities, and greater than 10,000 volunteers assist make the competitions a actuality. Visit the Special Olympics Oklahoma webpage to study extra about volunteering.
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