LAURINBURG — There was celebration in the air Tuesday morning when 175 athletes and more than 300 volunteers gathered at Pate Stadium on the campus of Scotland High for the annual Special Olympics competition.
One year after Special Olympics worldwide celebrated its 50th year, Scotland County’s Special Olympics organization was celebrating its 40th year.
“This is a very important event for the athletes, because it instills confidence and self-esteem,” said Carol Nichols, coordinator for Special Olympics. “But it’s also a great awareness event for the community — and we are so grateful for all of the community support this gets each year.”
Among the volunteer group are students from Scotland High who are members of such groups as the Anchor Club, JROTC, Drum Line and the BETA Club.
But while heartfelt appreciation was bestowed on the volunteers, the day belonged to the student-athletes.
“They really look forward to this,” Nichols said, “and they prepare for it for about eight weeks.”
The morning opened with a trio of awards. The first two, presented by Julian Butler, were: the Julian Butler Award to Scotland High and accepted by Principal Brian Edkins; and the Chuck Sligh Award to Devin Martin. Nichols then presented the Special Friend Award to Domino’s Pizza of Laurinburg.
The Olympic flame was lit by Diana Roper of Scotland High, with assistance from Superintendent Ron Hargrave.
Once the games began, the student-athletes were sent to three areas of the complex for events in running, jumping and throwing. There was also an Olympic Village, where there were food trucks and activities for those who were not competing.
The track played host to numerous foot-racing events, including 50-meter and 100-meter dashes and walks, relay races and a wheelchair race.
In one corner of the football complex, throwing events included a softball throw and shot-put toss.
In another corner of the complex were the jumping events, including running and standing long jump.
One of the highlights of the event came when Messiah McBride of Scotland High set a new running long-jump record with a leap of 15 feet. And there were other highlights as well, including Zanylah Pegues of Wagram Elementary, who quickly earned a pair of medals — first place in the 50-meter dash and second place in the standing long-jump.
“This is a wonderful event,” said Hargrave. “It’s a great opportunity for these students to come out and compete, as well as come together.
“I’m pleased to see the community getting behind this,” he added. “And we couldn’t ask for a better day.”
Mother Nature certainly did smile down on the event, providing mostly clear, blue skies and a warm sun.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or cvincent@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.
