ALASKA 2007 SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Tonight I was honored to attend Opening Ceremonies for the Alaska 2007 Special Olympics Summer Games at East High in Anchorage. Jim Balamaci was Master of Ceremonies. Mayor Mark Begich, Sen. Lesil McGuire, and Knights of Columbus State Deputy Louie Banderola made keynote remarks.

Over 300 Alaska athletes with intellectual disabilities will compete, representing the communities of Anchorage, Central Peninsula, Homer, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su Valley, Seward, and Tanana Valley (Fairbanks), and Valdez. The Special Olympics Motto is “Let me win but if I can not win, let me be brave in the attempt.” Five Alaska athletes and one coach are part of Team USA and will travel in October to Shanghai, China to participate in the Special Olympics World Games; if possible, I’ll attend.

To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, one must have one of the following conditions: intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays as measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay that require or have required specially designed instruction. I can’t think of anything more inspiring than watching Special Olympic athletes compete, with their focus on ability, not disability. To me, Special Olympics are another dimension of what it means to be “Pro-Life.”

The photo shows the “Torch Run” arriving on the East High stage, led by Anchorage Police Lieutenant Paul Honneman.