The 2008 Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games tied into the new Special Olympics "Be a Fan" Theme when the Games Opened June 6 at Eastern Kentucky University, and thousands heeded the call as nearly 1,200 athletes, 700 volunteers and countless family and friends converged on the Richmond campus for the biggest weekend on the Special Olympics calendar. This was the 36th State Summer Games in the program's history and marked the 14th consecutive year the Games have been held at Eastern Kentucky University. This was also a special year for the games as 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the Special Olympics movement's founding.
Festivities for the Games got underway early in the morning of Friday, June 6 with the lighting of the Special Olympics "Flame of Hope" on the steps of the Kentucky State Capitol as part of the Kentucky Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg. Escorted by nearly 150 officers from Law Enforcement agencies throughout the state, the "Flame of Hope" wound through Central Kentucky, including a second stop in Frankfort and one in Lexington before it made its way to the Opening Ceremonies of the Games in Richmond.
This year's Opening Ceremonies at a crowded EKU Ravine had a SportsCenter feel, based on the popular ESPN highlights show. They even came complete with a real sportscaster in Mary Jo Perino of WLEX TV in Lexington who co-hosted the Ceremonies with Special Olympics Kentucky athlete Jason Cowles of Bowling Green, marking the third consecutive year an athlete has helped emcee the Opening. This year's Opening Ceremonies produced a number of surprises, including slingshotting T-shirts and cotton candy to the crowd and a live three-legged race for the athletes to enjoy. Two highlights of the Ceremonies included an appearance by the Bowling Green Rockers Special Olympics Dance Team an all-star cheerleading group from the Kentucky Elite Cheerleading Program in Lexington. The Ceremonies also included the reading of a Special Olympics-themed poem titled "Never Give Up" by the poem's author Daviess County athlete Thomas Honeycutt.
As always, however, there real highlight of the Opening Ceremonies is the introduction of the "Flame of Hope" and the lighting of the Special Olympics Cauldron. The law enforcement officers of the Final Leg once again went to work, carrying lining the Ravine before passing two torches toward the stage. The flames were taken to the cauldron by Louisville Metro Police Officer Phil Hernandez and 2007 Special Olympics Kentucky Athlete of the Year Lee Dockins. As part of the honor of being named Athlete of the Year, Dockins became the first Special Olympics athlete in several years to light the Cauldron, signaling the opening of the Summer Games. Dockins was joined by 2007 Special Olympics Kentucky Coach of the Year Jan Krekel who officially declared the Games open, to roars from the athletes in the crowd.
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Opening Ceremonies was far from the end of the action on Friday night; however, as more than 100 athletes took to the track following the Ceremonies for the distance events (1,500 and 5,000-meters) and the relays. Darcy Whitehead of Elsmere became the first Gold Medallist of the 2008 games, winning her heat of the 5,000-meters in a blistering 22:53.36. It was the first of three Gold Medals for Whitehead at the Games.
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Saturday saw the competition begin in earnest with much of the excitement surrounding the newest Special Olympics Sport venue — the bocce courts. Four programs were selected from throughout the state earlier this year to pilot Bocce as a sport in the Special Olympics Program. Ohio County, East End (Louisville), STRIDE (Winchester) and Johnson County all had teams in the first Summer Games Bocce Competition. The morning began with Special Olympics Kentucky President and CEO Dave Kerchner performing the ceremonial first roll to launch the first new sport at the Summer Games in more than 10 years. The first Gold Medallists in Special Olympics Bocce history were Donald Kincaid and Brett Thompson of Ohio County in Division 1 and Kim Kolaric and Michael Willard in Division 2.
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At the soccer venue, the Stewart Home School Panthers put on an impressive display in the 1A Division, not allowing a single goal on their way to the Gold Medal. The Panthers posted 3-0 and 1-0 wins in the round-robin competition to claim the Gold. The Northern Kentucky Eagles actually matched the Panthers' feat in the B Blue Division, rolling off a 7-0 win in the semifinals and a 4-0 win in the championship game. Another Northern Kentucky team reigned in the B Blue Division, but it was a much closer call for the Northern Kentucky Crushers. The Crushers cruised through their semifinal match 4-1, but barely held off the Gateway Eagles 5-4 to earn their Gold Medal. There was no denying a Northern Kentucky Team in the 2A/3A Division as a pair of Northern sides squared off with the Northern Kentucky Rebels #1 claiming the Gold Medal.
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In Lexington at the Gymnastics venue, Missy Johnson and Jessica Hammond both of the (Lexington) Kentucky Gymcats earned Gold Medals in the Rhythmic Gymnastics competition. And Lee Dockins started a quest for a second Athlete of the Year title with a Gold Medal in the all-around competition.
The Powerlifting competition saw a pair of very close contests. In one division Joe Fowler of Henderson County — the only non-Bowling Green athlete in the competition — edged Ronald Hayes by the narrowest of margins 201.38 pounds to 201.29 pounds in the combined dead lift and bench press. In a second division both Willie Kirby and Evans Johnson — teammates throughout the Special Olympics basketball and softball seasons — both put up impressive numbers, topping 330 combined pounds, but it was Kirby with the edge by less than two full pounds, 331.03 to Johnson's 331.86.
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No venue saw as tight a competition, however, as there was at the swimming pool where two dead heats were recorded. In the 100-meter freestyle, Patrick Swintosky of the Jessamine County Sharks and Vahl Forsythe of the (Lexington) Fintastics both finished in a time of 1:23.09, with Swintosky touching a split second ahead of Forsythe to earn the Gold. The other was a true rarity, coming in the 4x25-meter relay where the Bowling Green Piranhas and the Louisville Stingrays teams both finished in 1:58.03 and were named co-Gold Medallists
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Our thanks to everyone who made the 2008 Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games such a tremendous success, especially the hundreds of event volunteers and the many sponsors — Special Olympics Official Partners Kroger, The Law Enforcement Torch Run, Six Flags and Texas Roadhouse; as well as Games sponsors American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary, Macy's, Eastern Kentucky University, McDonald's of Richmond, Community Alternatives of Kentucky and Time Warner Cable.
We hope you can join us for the 2008 State Summer Games. For more information about the Games or if you have questions about sponsorship opportunities, contact Special Olympics Kentucky Executive Vice President Trish Mazzoni at 800-633-7403 or via e-mail at tmazzoni@soky.org.
