Special Olympics is about playing, not winning

Most kids play sports to win, but with Special Olympics "the object of the game is not to win, but to let everyone play."

"Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt," says Yuma resident Linda Cook, explaining the motto of the organization.

Cook's sons Zach, 28, and Jake, 26, both participate in Special Olympics. She explains that the program allows intellectually disabled athletes to compete in a wide range of sports year-round, including track and field, tennis, swimming, powerlifting, bowling, basketball, gymnastics, football and golf. Athletes can participate in as many sports as they wish.

Jake competes in powerlifting, and Zach loves basketball and bowling. Both are avid golfers. They are excited about traveling with other Yuma athletes to the basketball state tournament in Mesa in late March. More than 64 teams will compete in the weekend event.

In Arizona, the Summer Games are scheduled to take place in late April and May. The USA National Games are to be held July 18-23 in the Omaha/Lincoln, Neb., area.

Organizers say the games are very important to local athletes. The games are an opportunity to travel to Phoenix on a bus tour and stay in motels. "It's a big deal, an adventure," Cook said.

The games are usually held in big stadiums filled with special athletes, parents and chaperones. They reflect the regular Olympics by featuring torch bearers and opening, closing and award ceremonies. The games also close with a dance, something the athletes look forward to, Cook said.

The Special Olympics is an international organization founded in 1968 to allow people with intellectual disabilities to compete in sports. Games are held every two years, alternating between summer and winter, as well as local, regional and national competitions in more than 150 countries.

Locally, 180 athletes participate in the Special Olympics program. Cook, who is part of the local management team, said that is just the tip of the iceberg. She said area director Cathy Reeves, a speech pathologist for the Somerton School District, sees a lot of people who are not involved but who would benefit from the program.

Special Olympics programs in Yuma County receive the bulk of their funding from an annual golf tournament, which is takes place this year on March 20 (see inset box for more information).

The Cooks have been involved in Special Olympics for over 15 years. They first arrived in Yuma in 1975, when Linda's husband, John, served as a dentist at Marine Corps Air Station. They were back for good in 1981 with five kids in tow, the last two with an unusual disability, ATRX Syndrome, a form of mild retardation.

Zach and Jake are very social and high functioning, Cook said, but as the boys grew older, the gap between them and other kids grew wider and they were no longer able to play with other kids their age.

"Friends go on, they grow up, get jobs, go on dates. Having the Special Olympics fills that void for them - and for me," Cook said. "It's not good for anyone to sit home and do nothing. I was so thankful when I found Special Olympics. Some of us aren't good at sports, but we always had a chance if we wanted to play. As a mother I didn't want to take away that experience. The Special Olympics gives them that experience."

Even those who don't walk are able to participate. Cook recalls a time when the local team surprised everyone at a state basketball tournament when they showed up with a member in a wheelchair. They had never had a basketball athlete in a wheelchair before.

"The rule was they had to give her a turn, slow down and pass the ball to her, even though they weren't used to slowing down," Cook said.

Some athletes compete in walkers or adapted equipment. For example, a bowler who doesn't have the use of arms can have the ball placed on top of a ramp and the athlete pushes it with his head. For paraplegics who want to swim, equipment is adapted so the athletes can float.

"You find a way," Cook noted. She repeats a saying that aptly describes intellectually disabled individuals: "Most of us are ordinary people trying to do something extraordinary with our life. They are extraordinary people just trying to be ordinary."

But Special Olympics is more than a learning experience. "Even though centered on sports, it branches into a social network of friends. It's something they have in common with friends. That's what enriches our lives - friends," Cook said.

That's why she's trying to reach out to parents of disabled children "sitting at home thinking what are they going to do. I encourage them to call. The responsibility of raising children with a disability is very demanding. They might feel isolated.

"It takes so much responsibility to take care of a special child, to keep them clean, fed, happy. They might not want to get involved, but the benefit to their child is immeasurable."

Cook believes the program is especially beneficial to athletes who no longer have their families, whose parents have died and who now live in group homes. For them, she said, it's a chance to be part of a family and receive needed support.

"They can be part of the forgotten population. However, I don't promote feeling sorry for disabled people because they can still have really rich lives."

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GOLF TOURNAMENT: SPECIAL OLYMPICS' BIG FUNDRAISER IS MARCH 20

The Yuma Special Olympics program is hosting a golf tournament March 20 at Cocopah RV Golf Resort, 6800 S. Strand Ave., to raise money to cover the traveling expenses of local athletes.

"Everything raised goes to local athletes to pay for equipment and uniforms so they can look sharp and represent Yuma well," Linda Cook said. "Everyone who works for the program is a volunteer. No one is paid."

Registration is open until Monday. People interested in participating or donating can call Cook at 580-1068 or Annie Fisher at 210-6601.

On the day of the tournament, registration will begin at 7 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 8 a.m. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided by World Gym and Fisher Automotive.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the top four teams, men's and women's longest drive and men's and women's closest-to-the-pin contests. There will also be giveaways and raffles

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GET MORE INFORMATION
• Call Linda Cook at 580-1068.
• Go to www.SpecialOlympics.org on the Web