Special Olympics takes the gold

By Stephanie Payne

On Saturday, Oct. 13, Santa Clara hosted the 2001 Silicon Valley Region Special Olympics Five-a-Side Soccer Qualifier event, which drew 19 teams and more than 50 individual athletes from Monterey Bay, East Bay and Silicon Valley.

In division two, the Eastsiders Alumni from east San Jose took gold, in division three, the Yerba Buena Warriors from the Eastside Union High School district took first place, in division 4-A, the Kaleidoscope Tigers from the east bay won the gold, and in division 4-B, Southside Blast from south San Jose took first place.

For those who didn't take away gold, the Special Olympics motto, "Let me win; but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt," rang true as the athletes played with excitement and confidence.

"It's going good," Piedmont Hills High School senior Barin Dhillon, whose team came in third place out of four teams in its division, said. "Our team is playing good. We tried really hard and we have skillful players."

The soccer tournament began at 9 a.m. on Bellomy Field, after the lighting of the torch and the national anthem, and lasted until 3:30 p.m. Teams played round-robin on five fields in five different skill divisions and were awarded medals according to points from wins and ties.

"Athletes are required to train for at least eight weeks," Donna Hepp, sports manager for the Special Olympics of Santa Clara County, said.

After training they attend the regional competition, and the winners qualify to join over 2,000 other athletes in the northern California competition in Sacramento in November.

In the individual competitions, athletes ranging from age eight to over 50 compete in dribbling and shooting events. They win points according to their speed and ball-handling ability and are awarded medals in different divisions based on age and skill level.

"It's a development event," parent volunteer Amy Kolb said, explaining that the individual competition is designed for athletes who don't have dequate social or athletic skills to play on teams yet. A few of the athletes, she continued, compete in the individual event because there aren't enough Special Olympics athletes in their area to form a whole team.

Another main event of the day was Walk for the Gold, a walk-a-thon in which teams of ten from area businesses got pledges and then walked the perimeter of campus to raise money for the Special Olympics.

"We usually put athletes with each team," Hepp said. "Then they're getting to see the results of their money."

"Special Olympics is completely free," Hepp said, explaining the need for Walk for the Gold and the many other fundraisers that make the event happen. "We can't charge our athletes for anything. All equipment, all the uniforms, all the staffing are covered by fundraising."

Part of Santa Clara's hosting of the event is that they fund a lot of it. The Santa Clara Community Action Program (SCCAP) also does a lot of fundraisers, and provides volunteers, without whom Special Olympics would be impossible.

"Volunteers rock!" declared Michelle Meyers, coordinator for Special Olympics on campus. "They are the lifeblood of Special Olympics International, they are the lifeblood of SCCAP, they are the lifeblood of Special Olympics through SCCAP."

Volunteers serve in all facilities in the Special Olympics, as coaching, organizing fundraisers, andother managerial functions. Santa Clara students who volunteered through SCCAP helped in many ways, from setting up at 5:30 a.m., to helping judge individual events and serving lunch.

"I wanted to do this because it's fun," sophomore volunteer Guillermo Carreon said. "It's different and you can help people enjoy themselves."

When asked if he would do it again next year, Carreon replied, "Oh yeah, it's assumed."

"My daughter is an athlete," Kolb, who usually coaches two or three Special Olympic sports a year, said. "We got involved when she was three, with exhibition events. It's such an integral part of her life that it becomes a family event. We all do it; all of my sisters and my parents come out to help too."