Photo By Staff Sgt. James Bunn | Delano Douglas practices his long jump during a training session for the Washington...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Nine-year old Delano Douglas won two events this weekend in his very first Washington Spring Special Olympic Games, the 100-meter walk and the 50-meter dash.
Delano, who has developmental persuasive disorder, has trouble socializing in an unfamiliar environment and according to his father, Staff Sgt. Delmar Douglas, needed an outlet to release his pent up energy.
Genia Stewart started volunteering for the Special Olympics to help her son feel like “a regular kid.”
Now, she has been the head coach of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Special Olympics team for the last five years. And there are hundreds of more stories out there from this weekend’s Games, just like Delano’s and Genia’s.
Stories of perseverance and dedication like Bonnie Kienzle, who competed in the cycling event or Leslie Flynn, who competed in the running long jump. There were hugs, laughs and tears, all right here on JBLM over the weekend.
The Washington Spring Special Olympics Games provided athletes a chance to learn, compete and make lasting friendships.
“My wife found out about the Special Olympics and introduced me to it,” said Delmar. “This is a good program because it give kids like Delano the chance to get the exercise he needs. I want him to learn to exercise early rather than when gets older.”
The games are more than just competition. The Special Olympics give athletes the chance to come together and develop their physical fitness and social skills. According to the Special Olympic website, the athletes get to show what they are capable of and build ties with the community.
“The Special Olympics help my son socially interact with his peers,” said Delmar. “He gets to be around people he knows and gets to act like he does at home.”
“It’s rewarding to see the kids succeed out there,” Genia added. “I have been a head coach for five years now and I love every minute of it.”
The program teaches athletes not only to compete but also about good sportsmanship. The program isn’t just about winning, it’s about what these athletes can do. Genia said one of the things she teaches her athletes is that they need to be gracious winners rather than poor sports if they don’t win.
“This program really helps these athletes, because when they find other individuals like themselves they tend to come out of their shells and act more like themselves,” said Genia. “I always have parents come up to me and thank me for talking them into joining the program.”
| Date Taken: | 05.25.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2015 14:30 |
| Story ID: | 165217 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Special Olympics provides growth through athletics, by SSG James Bunn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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