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Show i Local boys and girls participate S in state Special Olympics at BYU i Local youth were among the lib approximately 1600 of Utah's menially men-ially retarded children and adults who converged on Brigham Young s University's Track and Field m Stadium in Provo May 29 and 30 for k ! the 1967 Utah Special Olympics. K' Activities included competition in p the mile run; the softball throw, 100 116 k meter Spring-Pentathlon; 50-meter spring; team soccer finals, team )2pi volltyball finals and volleyball ies anc e Ik Also various special events; soc-tw soc-tw cer skills; the shot put pentathlon; bowling; wheelchair athletes activities; the frisbee throw; a 100-meter racewalk and the 400-meter 400-meter relay. Closing -ceremonies were held Saturday afternoon. Jim Murphy, executive director of Utah Special Olympics, said the Special Olympians represented ; J more than 75 teams from throughout J the state, Thirty of the athletes who competed com-peted in ihe Spring Games will also represent Utah at the 1987 International Summer Special Olympics Games to be held July 31 through August 8 in South Bend, Maria, at the University of Notre -) Dame ancj St. Mary's College. oj Murphy said the Spring Games is H jj largest of Utah's six annual J W Olympics state events. "The growth1 in numbers of par- Mpating-athletes is the result of V "tensive, quality training that Wies place ia local and area i Programs around the state," he I "You're going to walk away today ?3 ill a lot of pride in yourselves," ipeakers- said during opening ceremonies Friday. "Why do you think all these people are here to watch you? It's because they are proud of you. You are feeling like a winner today because you are a winner." Donna Clark, Miss Utah, was among those present to start off the Special Olympics. The Spring Games, Murphy said, is the culmination of months, and in some cases years, of training for the athletes. Area and local training and competition precede the activity. "The dedication and commitment to training these athletes demonstrate demon-strate has earned them the right to compete on the world-class facilities of Brigham Young University," Murphy said. He said the Spring Games include all the excitement and enthusiasum of the historic Olympic games including opening and closing ceremonies, the traditional parade of athletes, special events and awards ceremonies. Each participant in the competition com-petition receives an award - regardless regar-dless of their time or place - reinforcing rein-forcing Special Olympics' emphasis on training and true sports competition, com-petition, rather than crowning a single victor. Winning is secondary to the commitment com-mitment and dedication Special Olympics coaches instill in these athletes. "Special Olympians exemplify the purest motivation in sports, reaching one's own potential and sharing in the joy of fellow athletes' achievements," Murphy said. The top three finishers in each event received gold, silver and bron ze medals at the conclusion ot the event. Place and participation ribbons rib-bons were given to all other competitors com-petitors in the event. In all, more than 6,000 awards were awarded over the two-day competition. Adding to the pageantry of the Spring Games was the Second Annual Utah Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run. Starting on May 25, volunteer law enforcement personnel repf esenting federal, state, county and local agencies began carrying the Special Olympics Flame of Hope on four routes across the state. The four routes converged in Provo Friday. During the opening ceremonies, the law enforcement runners passed the Flame to a Special Olympian who carried it into the stadium to light the Special Olympics Cauldron signifying the official opening of the games. Locally, officers from the Alpine Police Department took the torch at the junction of Interstate 15 and Utah Highway 92 Thursday afternoon, taking it into Alpine for the night. Friday morning, they brought it to the Utah State Training School where it was passed on to officers from American Fork Police Department. Other agencies helped carry it on into Provo for the opening ceremonies. Utah County families hosted athletes traveling to the event from throughout the state. Other volunteers volun-teers served as "huggers" to congratulate the athletes as they came across the finish line; or as timers, starters or in other areas. |
