Four Special Olympic athletes associated with Blue Valley Recreation won gold, silver and bronze medals at the national event held in Lincoln, Neb. The games featured 3,800 athletes from 47 states in 13 sporting competitions and lasted six days (July 18-23). The games showcased and celebrated the Special Olympics movement while illustrating the power of sports to educate and inform about the true abilities and achievements of people with intellectual disabilities.
Patrick Brown, Tina Burger, Michaela Davis and Michael Kanter all won hardware at this year’s event. Brown medaled in golf; Burger and Kanter won two medals each in tennis; and Davis was a three-time medal winner in swimming. Of the four, Kanter was the only repeat participant. In addition to the outstanding competition, the athletes competed in top-notch venues.
Brown took home the bronze in men’s golf after playing two beautiful courses – Mahoney Golf Course and Highlands Golf Course. Brown’s experience included support from the community as professional golfers served as caddies and offered tips throughout the competition.
Tennis was held at the Abbott Sports Complex, home to the Nebraska Tennis Center with 12 outdoor and six indoor courts. In all, 74 athletes competed in the sport with divisions for singles, doubles, individual skills competition, mixed doubles and unified doubles. Burger won a bronze medal in women’s tennis for both singles and doubles while Kanter took home silver in men’s singles and gold in men’s doubles.
Davis swam her way to three medals: she took gold in the 4 x 25 meter women’s medley, gold in the 4 x 25 meter freestyle and bronze in the 25 meter freestyle. Nearly 250 athletes competed in 44 aquatic programs at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
“What a wonderful experience,” said Jane Davis, Michaela’s mother. “We all enjoyed meeting athletes and families from various parts of the country and realized we were really all just a very large family.”
The Kansas team was formed by a selection committee from a list of athletes nominated by coaches throughout the state. Brown, Burger and Davis were all selected during the first round, but Kanter almost didn’t make it to the games. Another athlete originally chosen was unable to attend, so the invitation was extended to Kanter. Sid Kanter, Michael’s father, was already set to coach tennis when he got the good news his son would be going as well.
“What a wonderful experience to have with the kids,” said Sid. “The athletes practice throughout the year and to be able to finish with this event is a great reward.”
It was a family affair for the Kanters as Blue Valley Blue Streaks coordinator Nan, mother of Michael and wife of Sid, also attended the games.
“There were 60 athletes from the state of Kansas,” said Nan. “And I had fun cheering for each and every one of them.”
The games included appearances from several celebrities and professional athletes. Andy Roddick conducted a tennis clinic; Amanda Freed, Olympic gold medalist softball player, put on a softball clinic; captain of the gold medal men’s volleyball team in 2008, Tom Hoff, worked a volleyball demonstration; the Grammy Award-winning group Jars of Clay played several songs; and actor Harrison Ford served as honorary chairman of Cessna’s 2010 Special Olympics Airlift.
New this year was the Healthy Athlete venue where each athlete had the opportunity to receive an exam by certified doctors, optometrists, podiatrists, dentists, audiologists, and nutritionists. Upon completion of the exam, each was given a diagnosis, along with any proper equipment needed such as glasses, hearing aids, teeth cleaning or orthotics.
After the competitions were completed and the medals were awarded, the community rallied one last time at closing ceremonies, which summed up the entire week of competition. Tears flowed, good byes exchanged and memories of a lifetime remembered through new friends and social interactions that