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Show Aug. 27, 1992 ? 4 V r lit. - MX. ; " T : . r ! : " i S 15 Hilltop Times , itt" ' i a , ft ' w , v V 1 r , - ' jr. f 7 - "V r Si ir"l teLvn it : Golfing special Far right, volunteers and family watch as a Special Olympian tries to sink a putt during the short putting competition. Above, SrA. Jeff Hurbace, a volunteer from Hill AFB's 2721st Munitions Maintenance Test Squadron, instructs a contestant during the chipping competition. Right, an athlete seems happy with her chip to the green. ' t f - t H-- A ' in ' - L U.S. Air Force Photos by Joy Joersz 1r O si ire by Jay Joersz Hilltop Times staff writer They may not be as proficient as the Olympians who recently wrapped up the 1992 Summer Olymhearts share pics in Barcelona, but Olympic-calibe- r the same dream capture the gold. With these athletes, though, there is one noticeable difference it didn't matter if they won or lost, they all had fun and were happy to be there together. They are the 45 athletes who competed in the 1992 Summer Special Olympics in Ogden, Utah, Aug. 8. If gold medals were given to any athlete who displays good sportsmanship and jumbo smiles, every player at the Golf Uy Golf Course would have waUced away with a ribbon of gold around their neck. "It was very rewarding to see all the smiles and how much they were enjoying the whole day," said Capt. Michael Vinyard, transition assistance program volunteer worker in the Hill AFB Family Support Center. "I've never met nicer people. It gave me great satisfaction to see them laugh and smile. Vinyard and 13 other Hill volunteers played a key role in making the event possible, according to the executive director of the Utah Special Olympics. "Without the Hill volunteers this event would not have taken place," J.D. Donnelly said. "They were the main driving force behind the event. Our athletes, coaches and the rest of us involved are very grateful for the support Hill gave us." The event was a new event for special Olympians and Donnelly said this year's first run through was O SPOITD volunteers help athletes hit links for Special Olympics Hill very successful and it will be an annual event run basically by Hill volunteers. He added that officials in the United States Golf Association and the Professional Golfers' Association of America are ex- cited about the response from the event. The military volunteers took care of getting the equipment and setting it up, working with the athletes, keeping score and much more. The volunteer force was made up mostly of members of the 2721st Munitions Maintenance Test Squadron, but also included Vinyard and SSgt. De Wayne R. McKnight from U.S. Air Force Hospital, Hill. The athletes first tested their skills in various areas such as putting, chipping, the accuracy of a pitch shot and using various irons and woods. Volunteers helped measure distances and accuracy to total points as well as provide much encouragement. Next, the athletes and their volunteer coaches hit the links for a round of competitive team golf. The teams were made up of half Special Olympians and half parents and volunteers. This is also something new to Special Olympics called "unified sports," "They were real easy to work with," said SrA. Troy Richards, a munitions shipping crew member in the 2721st MMTS. "They have a high and most of them are a lot better golfers than I am. All in all, it was a great time for everyone." According to the first sergeant of the 2721st, his airmen were lining up to help with the unique golf tournament. He said they could have easily put 50 volunteers out there if needed. "It was very enjoyable being involved, especially knowing it was the first time," said MSgt. Richard Nioklofski. "We are already starting to work the kinks out for next year and are getting more base self-estee- m organizations to get involved." Being a golfer himself, Moklofski said golf is a perfect game for the special athletes, because the game is really a game against yourself. He added that some of them really showed that they could play the game pretty well. "Some of those guys could really hit that ball," he said. "I haven't been playing that long, but some of those people can outdrive me." The hospital volunteer, McKnight, was there to provide medical assistance if needed. He said that he had always wanted to get involved with Special Olympics and since his weekends were mostly uneventful anyway, he jumped at the opportunity. "I guess the biggest thrill for me was that they Donnelly explained. "The concept of unified sports is that by combin- didn't have to put me to work. Thankfully, nobody ing them on a team with volunteers and coaches got hurt," he said. "Everything went real well. In they will model after the coaches and work with fact, it was easy to tell they all had a great time. them better," he said. "This will help them slowly All you had to do was look at how big the smiles were on their faces." become more and more streamlined." |