The Special Olympics return to Presque Isle this Friday with the Aroostook County Spring Games, an event celebrating and supporting the region’s community of people with special needs.
The weather forecast is calling for sun and temperatures in the low 60s on Friday, when more than 300 athletes from Aroostook County will gather at the MSAD 1 Johnson Athletic Complex for the Spring Games, a collection of running, walking, jumping and throwing competitions.
The Spring Games, a part of the international Special Olympics events held for youth and adults with intellectual disabilities, have been an annual event in Aroostook County since the early 1980s, said Stephen Richard, executive director of the Central Aroostook Association, a nonprofit education center serving individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Richard helped bring the Special Olympics to the area, and has seen it grow in the number of athletes it attracts and in its collaboration with groups such as the National Honor Society, whose members volunteer as event staff.
“The whole intermingling is a nice sight to see. There’s a real bonding that really takes place,” Richard said.
For the individuals who participate, the event promotes a sense of achievement and positive messages of physical health and camaraderie. It’s also a welcome day for families and parents, Richard said.
“I love to see the expression on parents’ faces as their sons or daughters compete. This is their day to shine, to show off their ability.”
Richard added that the guiding spirit of the Special Olympics is summed up in a quote from the event’s founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver: “Let me win, and if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Other competitions that are part of the Special Olympics also come to Presque Isle in other seasons, including soccer, basketball and aquatics, usually held at the University of Maine Presque Isle.
This Friday, the Spring Games kick off with a parade at 9 a.m. with the Presque Isle Middle School Band and the Presque Isle Knights of Columbus.
Follow the Spring Games with the Star-Herald on TheCounty.me
The event also is a source of community connections for the Presque Isle Star-Herald, which will be covering the event live online with stories, photos and videos.
“Our hope is to provide an experience for our readers that will be a little bit like listening to the radio, watching the TV and reading the newspaper all at once,” said Andrew Birden, general manager of Northeast Publishing.
The Star-Herald’s coverage of the games starts Wednesday with a special section online, where there will be historical stories and photos of the event over time, and continues Friday. The special section will remain on the web for a week following the event.
