By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – Twenty-five hundred athletes from around the state arrived at UB Thursday night for the start of the 34th Special Olympics New York Summer Games.
Last night, Western New York welcomed back the state's Special Olympians. Each year, thousands of adults and children with mental retardation from across New York participate in the event. Athletes get to test their skills, competing in olympic games ranging from track to swimming to gymnastics. But Special Olympics spokesman Jim Smith says the athletes come away with more than medals.
"Special Olympics has been around for thirty-four years in New York State," said Smith. "And for those years we have given athletes an opportunity, people with mental retardation, children and adults, the opportunity to compete, to experience the joy of competition, the joy of winning, the reality of losing. And, hopefully, they take those skills and tehy transfer them into the other parts of their lives."
Smith says there about 2,000 local volunteers will be working Friday and Saturday to help make the games a success. But Smith says the most important volunteers are the fans.
"We'll have about twenty five hundred athletes from around the state and lot of their families could not join them," said Smith. "So, we're hoping that the Western New York Community becomes their surrogate family for the weekend, and comes out, and really cheers them on and inspires them to greatness, as we say."
The competition runs through the day at UB's athletic venues Friday and Saturday, with activities also scheduled each night.