Duh, Winning!

Yesterday Amelia participated in a Special Olympics held by her therapy center. They have three clinics throughout the city so the kids from each location were competing against each other. It is for kids between the ages of 3 to 7. Amelia was one of the youngest kids there. We arrived at the facility which is a big recreation center for people with disabilities. We checked her in and she got a little laminated tag with her picture on it. It listed her events on it and had a string on it so she could wear it around her neck. She also got a t-shirt which is wearing below.


All smiles before the opening ceremonies!

I lined up with her for the opening ceremonies while Todd got the camera and things ready inside the hall. We paraded in to loud applause and cheers, which freaked Amelia out and she was sobbing and wailing. I tried pressing her ear to my chest and covering the other with my hand and that seemed to help her a little bit. We passed the torch, sang the National Anthem, said the Pledge of Allegiance (which I have not done since high school!) and recited the Special Olympics oath: Let Me Win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." I had never heard it before, but I think it is a valuable thing for everyone to internalize as they meet daily challenges, whether fully able or with a disability!


Waiting for our turn to pass the torch. Amelia pulled out a little bit of the torch. Oops.

Amelia had individual and group events. She had mini bowling, bean bag toss, baseball, obstacle course and hurdles! her group events included passing the hula hoop, a baton relay and an over and under ball pass. Amelia is a natural at obstacle course and pretty good a bowling, too. These things are genetic! After each event she got a star on her ID tag.


Hula hoop pass.


Bean bag toss. She got 3 out of 4.


She got a strike on her first attempt!


She was supposed to whack this off the tee with a racquet, but she just kept smacking it with her hands.

She seemed to start enjoying herself after the initial crying. It was a lot of sensory stuff going on with all the activities, kids and parents, and noise echoing off the gym walls. But once she was focused on activities, she seemed to let it all fade away.

The group activities were super cute. Each therapy center was a team and the parents were cheerleading their groups. We were "West side! West side!" The baton pass was cracking me up big time. One kid ran across the gym and instead of handing it off he turned on his heel and kept running back the way he came. A therapist ran after him chasing him down and right as she caught up with him he gleefully tossed it up in the air.

It was a great morning of smiles and pure joy. Don't you wish every day could be like that? Now that we've been there, done that and gotten the t-shirt -- I am pretty sure we will be back next year!