The 2017 Bartow County Special Olympics goes off without a hitch!

Special Olympics is an “athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for all children…with intellectual disabilities, giving them opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community,” according to Special Olympics Georgia. Events include track and field competitions such as hundred-meter dash, hundred-meter wheelchair dash, fifty-meter walk, standing and running long jumps, softball throw, tennis ball throw, and shot put.

Athletes from schools all over the county participate in Special Olympics, including students from Bartow County Schools and Cartersville City Schools. 176 athletes participated in this year’s Special Olympics, with over 200 buddies there to assist them.

Special Olympics is hosted on the football field at Cass High School, and Mrs. Slye, the ESE teacher at Cass, oversees it all. Mrs. Slye says, “I felt it went really well. Some definite highlights of the day were the smiling faces and the excitement of the students after they won their awards.”

The day started with a parade across the field, with the students holding banners to represent their schools. After, the colors were presented, and in a very moving moment, Haley Chester led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. Haley struggles with her speech, and Mrs. Slye says, “Having her say the pledge was a very special moment for me.” The events ran by volunteers from the Cartersville Service League, began, and around lunchtime, the WoodmenLife Chapter 1152 provided lunch for both athletes and buddies. Kona Ice also provided free ice for the athletes, and Eagle Sports printed shirts.

There were also lots of student volunteers at Special Olympics. Buddies from Cass’s National Honor Society and students from other schools got to hang out with their athlete and make sure they got to their events on time. JROTC assisted with set-up and clean-up; the Cass Art Club had a tent for face painting, and the cheerleading team helped run the smaller games meant to entertain the athletes between events. “To me, Special Olympics is all about giving my athlete my undivided attention so they can shine on their day,” says Linsey Radford, a buddy from Cass.

Special Olympics is a very important day for the students who participate. “It means the absolute world to them. It’s their day to shine and socialize with other high schoolers. Most kids wouldn’t miss it. They love it,” Macy Wright says when asked what Special Olympics means to kids like her brother, Jake, who has Williams Syndrome.

Everyone is already looking forward to next year’s Special Olympics.