LAKE COUNTY — The Special Olympics program in Lake County gives local athletes a myriad of sports they can participate in.
The local program is a microcosm of the world-wide organization that provides athletic training and competition to more than 2.5 million people with disabilities in over 165 countries. It all began with Eunice Kennedy Shriver who started a day camp for people with intellectual disabilities at her home in 1962.
The program not only thrives on the enthusiasm of adult and children athletes, but also on the support of the many volunteers, including coaches, students, community members, and members of the athletes” families.
Program director Cathy Saderlund says the Lake County Special Olympics, which has been in existence for 15 years, has rapidly grown in recent years, due to increased interest and donations from local businesses and individuals that fund travel expenses for teams to compete across California and out of state.
Saderlund and her husband volunteer along with 15 other “die hards” to coach athletes in power lifting, golf, bowling, softball, basketball, and track and field.
“The only sports offered prior to 2001 were track and field and bowling. When my husband and I took over leading the program we started adding sports. The mailing list then was about 50, now it”s about 180,” said Saderlund.
A total of 60 athletes ranging from age five to 68 participate in sports locally, and many are multi-sport athletes. “They can train at age five and can compete in regional competitions at age eight,” said Saderlund.
The local program reaches out through local high schools and is very active in the community. An upcoming event hosted by the Iron Pigs Motorcycle Club and Robinson Rancheria benefiting Lake County Special Olympics will take place Saturday, Sept. 8.
Activities include a poker run, car and bike show, music, food, bike games, blackjack, slot tournaments, and vendors.
“This is the fourth year we”ve been doing it, it”s very similar to our torch run in June of each year. The Iron Pigs are law enforcement, and it”s great to have that component to it. We”re one of the only very rural counties that participate in the torch run. We got the idea for the motorcycle run as a spin off of the torch run,” said Saderlund.
She says without community support, the program would be a lot smaller. “Robinson Rancheria donated about $5,000 for transportation to out-of-county competitions. Lot”s of organizations help us out. It”s hard for us to concentrate on coaching and then roll over and say, ?Oh, we have to raise money now,” said Saderlund.
Special Olympics is a healthy way for people with disabilities to interact with other members of the community, and helps members socially as well as physically, Saderlund says. “The biggest social aspect of it for athletes is being able to participate and compete with their peers. They also get to travel, whereas if they weren”t involved, some would never get out of Lake County.”
In the past year, athletes from Lake County travel all over Northern California for competitions. The power lifters have traveled two years in a row to Reno.
“Based on allotment and number of those in training, when they have national competitions you have the opportunity to attend. We had one golfer and one power lifter get to fly out to Iowa. We think it”s so very important because they get out into the community and meet new people,” said Saderlund.
The physical aspect of training has rewards that last participants a lifetime. “Participating in sports really helps people physically and emotionally. They”re training very hard every single week. They”re in pretty darn good shape,” said Saderlund.
Special Olympics provides other means of support for people with disabilities. Through the Athlete Leadership Program, disabled athletes often get the opportunity to serve as spokespeople, coaches, officials, and on boards of local organizing committees. Special Olympics also runs the Healthy Athletes program, which focuses on developing healthy habits that will increase the athletes” abilities to train and compete. The Special Olympics program also runs a number of research evaluations seeking to provide better understanding of the various issues surrounding disabilities.
According to a survey posted on the Special Olympics Web site, 80 percent of the participants” family members have perceived improvements across the board in the areas of self-confidence, social skills, friendship, health and sports skills.
Saderlund says they are always looking for volunteers as well as participants. “We try to get out there and let people know it”s available, we hit the schools to let them know, and then through all of our events we are out there recruiting.
Volunteers find it very rewarding, whether it”s helping to coach or to fundraise. We think that there is a population that may not be accessing it because they”re not aware of it.”
To participate, Special Olympics athletes must first get the OK from their physician?typical protocol to participate in any sport, Saderlund says. “Other than that, they just show up for practice. It is completely free for the athlete to participate in Special Olympics,”
Athletes can be seen at various community events and can be spotted practicing at local gyms, golf courses, and bowling alleys. During competitions, they stay true to tradition by huddling and chanting a verse that has inspired generations of athletes, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me brave in the attempt.”
Contacted Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com. To comment on this story or any others, look at the end of this story for “Comments,” fill in the web form, and the click “Publish”
