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Special Olympians Flock To Durant

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By GEORGE WILKENS

gwilkens@tampatrib.com

Published: March 4, 2009

PLANT CITY - Special Olympians from a half-dozen eastern Hillsborough County schools converged on Durant High recently to gauge the success of months of training for this month's regional competition.

"This is the first competitive event for these athletes," said Tom Denham, Hillsborough County Special Olympics executive director, who participated in the Feb. 19 event. "They've been training for eight weeks leading up to this."

Noting the event drew 74 competitors, Denham declared it a success. "This is basically a qualifying event for the regional competition at the University of South Florida on Saturday, March 14," Denham said.

That event is expected to draw 700 athletes from Hillsborough and Polk counties, he said. Top finishers go on to compete in the two-day state meet in Orlando in May. "That event brings about 2,200 athletes from around the state of Florida," Denham said.

Preparation for the Durant event began at 6:30 a.m. and included work by volunteers from the school's service clubs, who erected carnival games of skill and luck they designed and built to entertain athletes between competitive events.

"The kids came up with what they wanted to do," said Cynthia Carrig, a teacher of the Educable Mentally Handicapped at Durant and a Special Olympics coach of track and field events. "They've been working on it for a few weeks."

Enjoying a lollipop earned by pitching a softball through an opening in a plywood Durant cougar built by Senior Council members, Austin Roche, 14, said he enjoyed the camaraderie. "Me and him ran five races," he said, pointing to Giunta Middle School classmate Verdal Stokes.

Stokes, 13, agreed, rattling off the list of races the pair ran. The 400-meter race was his favorite, he said, "Because I won and it's challenging."

Schools competing in the shot put, other track and field events and soccer led by Durant coach Jamin Hollingsworth were: Giunta Middle; Eisenhower Exceptional Center; Plant City High; J.S. Robinson Elementary; Durant High; and Lopez Exceptional Center.

The Special Olympics are for students with intellectual disabilities.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4433.

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