Athletes and fans show up in the hundreds for the regional competition
By Cameron Aalto, Ashland.News
Track and field and bocce ball were the names of the games at the summer regional competitions hosted by Special Olympics Oregon on Saturday in Ashland, bringing together athletes from five Oregon counties to get together and get their game on.
Special Olympics Oregon offers “sports year round, that’s the one big thing,” said Frank Rambaum, Douglas County’s local coordinator and board member of the organization. “And it’s for people who have intellectual disabilities and it’s to … bring them all together.
“Our athletes are competitive; you come out to any of the things and they are competitive. No matter what division, and this is the nice thing with this, (the athletes) are divisioned with their ability level.”
Rambaum, who has been a part of the Special Olympics for 20 years, said that “Oregon has an outstanding program, we get a lot of support from the community, through the donations, from all of our different sponsors.” Because of the financial support, he said, there is no cost for athletes to participate — “They can start participating as early as age 6, they start competing at age 8, (and) at the other end — there isn’t an end.”
Douglas County athlete Besa Penner, 22, received a gold medal in the 100 meter dash for completing the sprint in 17.50 seconds. She says the medal “is very special. I’ve never done track before” and that she really enjoys the sport. She remarks that her favorite aspect of the Special Olympics has been “Hanging out with friends and get(ting) to know them.”
State Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, was at the event cheering athletes on and welcoming people to Ashland. She said it is “joyful to watch the exuberance, the fun, the sense of self pride that the athletes are exhibiting.” In addition, she says she was present at the event to “thank the Special Olympics and the volunteers for really creating this environment where we understand that all of us can be athletes and we can enjoy competition and testing ourselves, and being together.”
Christina Bravo, coach for Coos Bay athletes, says that she loves everything about being a coach. “I love the kids, I love the joy that it creates. Everyone has such a good attitude (and are) ready to go. It’s been such a great experience.” As a coach she works with the athletes on the javelin throw, setting life skills, and “getting to know them and connecting with them on a one-to-one level kind of basis.”
Douglas County bocce ball athlete, Regina Rotundo, says that this year marked her first time participating in the Special Olympics. Asked what her favorite aspect of the program is, Rotundo said, “being with friends and learning things.” When she’s playing, she describes that the team and spectators “cheer you on, make you feel good. They tell you, ‘you do this, you’re doing good!’” She explains that the input is helpful, “Especially when you don’t know about (the sport). This way, you learn.”
During the fall, Rotundo likes to bowl. Asked which of the two she likes most, she explains “I like bowling because it’s easier, but I like bocce because it’s a challenge. (I also like) the sun, and being with the people here.”
Two of her teammates, Trevor Parker and Darin McPheeters, have been a part of the Special Olympics for a few years. Parker has been to the state championships. Parker retired from track and field and basketball last year and now only plays bocce ball and bowling. McPheeters says that he likes the Special Olympics because of his friends, the games, and the sportsmanship, saying, “if you lose, it’s still a good game.”
Gold medalists on Saturday will go on to compete at the state level Friday, July 12, at Oregon State University.
Ashland.news intern Cameron Aalto is a senior at Southern Oregon University. Email him at aaltoc@sou.edu.
