By Shannon Hicks

Eunice Kennedy Shriver may not have had an inkling about the health and social benefits of what she was about to do, but 31 years ago Mrs Shriver followed a passionate conviction that persons of all ages with mental retardation could and should be able to take part in and benefit from competitive sports. Though many so-called experts of the time were opposed to the idea of competition for persons with mental handicaps, Mrs Shriver was convinced that they could, with training and practice, learn to run a race, throw a ball, swim, and play team sports.

She also believed they could experience, for perhaps the first time in their lives, how liberating it is to train and to learn, to strive and test one’s skills, and to be a winner. Mrs Shriver felt certain the lessons learned through sports would translate into a new competence and success in school, the workplace, and the community.

Above all, Mrs Shriver wanted the families, neighbors, and friends of persons with mental disabilities to see that these people – these potential athletes – could indeed accomplish something, take pride in their efforts, and rejoice in their victories.

On July 20, 1968, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill., under the guidance and leadership of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the first International Special Olympics Games were held.

Since 1968, millions of children and adults with mental retardation have participated in Special Olympics. The idea has grown into an international organization that provides year-round sports training and competitions to over 1.2 million athletes annually, offering 26 sports, both Olympic events and nationally-popular sports. Special Olympics (SO) has program offices in every state in the United States and over 143 countries.

To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, an athlete must be at least eight years old and identified by an agency or professional as having a condition of mental retardation.

The benefits of participation in SO for people with mental retardation include improved physical fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence, a more positive self-image, friendships, and in many cases increased family support. Athletes carry these benefits with them into their daily lives at home, in the classroom, on the job, and in the community.

Special Olympics believes competition among those of similar abilities is the best way to test its athletes’ skills, measure their progress, and inspire them to grow. The organization feels its program of sports training and competition helps people with mental retardation become more physically fit, and grow mentally, socially, and spiritually. And Special Olympics believes consistent training is required to develop sports skills, which is why teams or individuals are required to attend weekly practices for their events.

SO holds competitions at the local, regional, state, national, and international levels. Connecticut’s SO program (SOCT) is 31 years old, having been incepted the same year Eunice Shriver helped host those first games in Chicago. Connecticut’s programs are among the most diverse and innovative in the world. Today SOCT hosts over 50 tournaments and competitions annually in 21 sports, representing 6,300 athletes.

Connecticut’s programs include the traditional training for athletes to compete in everything from alpine and cross-country skiing to golf, sailing, tennis, soccer, volleyball, power lifting, and bowling, among its offerings.

Special programs in the state include the Unified Sports® Program, which combines an approximately equal number of athletes with mental retardation (Athletes) and non-disabled athletes (called Special Partners) on teams to compete in a variety of sports. Unified Sports® was adopted into the SOCT program in 1989.

Connecticut also hosts the SOCT/CAS (CT Association of Schools, a non-profit education and activity organization) partnership, which brings the Unified Sports® guidelines into a number of the state’s public and parochial schools. This program, which began in 1992, uses the game field as a forum to break down barriers and help mainstream students with mental disabilities.

The Partnership currently has 1,100 athletes participating. There are sporting skills events for elementary-age students, and then soccer, basketball, volleyball, and softball Partnership teams for the middle and high school levels.

Also in Connecticut, the Motor Activities Training Program (MATP) is offered for athletes with “profound” disabilities; the Masters Sports Program offers competition for athletes over the age of 40; the Global Messenger Program trains athletes in public speaking so that they can in turn serve as spokesmen for Special Olympics; and the Officials Program for Athletes® allows people with mental retardation to become certified sports officials through mentor training.

There are more than 10,000 volunteers, 1,200 volunteer coaches, and numerous corporate and civic organizations, in addition to the 6,300 athletes and their families who make up Connecticut’s full Special Olympics team. Volunteers play a variety of roles, from coaches and officials to fundraisers or scorekeepers and timers. There are jobs at all levels of competition, for all ages.

 A Year-Round Program

Newtown is a member of the Special Olympics Connecticut/Danbury Community program, which also serves the towns of Bethel, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, Kent, Morris, New Milford, New Fairfield, Redding, Ridgefield, Roxbury, Sherman, Southbury (although Southbury Training School hosts its own program), Washington, and Woodbury.

Up until late last year, there was one major tournament, in June, called the Summer Games, which hosted competitions in soccer, tennis, aquatics, athletics (track and field events, primarily), gymnastics, and cycling. Danbury Community athletes had the rest of the year to compete in the other eight sports programs hosted by Danbury, and every one of those sports had its own mini-tournament at the conclusion of an eight-week practice season.

“It was very taxing, to say the least, on our resources and our volunteers,” said Kevin Cooper. Mr Cooper, a full-time employee at DATAHR in Brookfield, is the local coordinator for SOC/Danbury Community.

Now, Connecticut has reorganized its program, which went into effect at the beginning of the year. Four major tournaments will be held each year, one each season, and only one mandatory practice will be held each week.

 “That way we can conserve some of our resources, and it won’t be as time-consuming for our athletes, our volunteers and coaches, and even for the parents,” Mr Cooper said.

The 2000 Special Olympics Connecticut (SOCT) calendar has already taken care of its first tournament under its reorganization. The state’s winter games, held in February in the Simsbury/East Hartford area, offered competitions in alpine skiing, cross country skiing, figure skating, floor hockey, and speed skating. The summer games will be held on the weekend of June 9 through 11 on the grounds of Yale University and Southern CT State University, both in New Haven, with competition in aquatics, athletics, cycling, gymnastics, soccer, and tennis.

The fall sports festival, scheduled for the weekend of September 16 and 17 in New London and Vernon, will offer golf, sailing, softball, and Masters sporting events. In November, the holiday sports classic will feature basketball, bowling, powerlifting, and volleyball in Stratford, Milford, and Woodbridge.

Enrollment Is Exploding

Athlete enrollment in the greater Danbury area has, according to the area coordinator, “exploded.”

“We had about 35 total active athletes in the program about 18 months ago,” when Mr Cooper took on the post of SOCT/DCO area coordinator, he said. “Now we’re looking at over 200 people. We’ve obviously got a lot of new athletes in the program, and we’re going to continue to encourage everyone who has a disability to become included in Special Olympics.”

As April begins, so does the practice season for the summer games and the need for a full crew of volunteers to help with the weekly practices. Volunteers work with the athletes, developing the skills the athletes will need once it is time to compete at the end of the season.

Teams and individuals are practicing in aquatics, athletics, cycling, gymnastics, soccer, and tennis. For details on volunteering to work with a SOCT/Danbury Community team for a full season (which means one night a week, one Saturday in May, and the weekend of June 9 through 11), contact Kevin Cooper at 775-4700, extension 289.

On Saturday, May 13, the 2000 Greater Danbury Area Games will be held at Immaculate High School in Danbury. For details on volunteering for that day, contact Lori Burke at 792-9358.

For details on volunteering just for a state qualifier or a state tournament, contact the SOCT office in Hamden, at 203/230-1200. Volunteers are needed year-round.