The past weekend has been one of the most awe inspiring one I have ever had. So touched to the core that it has finally prompted me to start a blog...something I have been postponing to do since perhaps the inception of the internet! :)
This weekend we are brimming with pride as our son Erwin has come home from the Special Olympics Northern California (SONC) Summer Games with 2 gold medals and a bronze in the aquatics division. He received a medal in all the events that he participated in! Vic, Ellis and I have been a part of a weekend of Michael Phelps proportion (okay maybe a tad less!). So I can’t help but share the amazing experience we had these past 36 hours! My blogging days have officially begun!
A little background, in March of this year, Erwin started training with the Elk Grove team. In May, his team competed in the Regional Finals. Much to everyone’s surprise, Erwin who is known as the playful one, got a gold medal for 25 meters free-style. His logged time was for the record books! The first thing his coach said to Erwin, “Who are you?” In addition, due to his catching up effort, his team won the 100 m relay silver medal (rallying from non medal spot!).
The required qualification for the Northern California State Competition is no less than a gold medal! 5 out of the 10 Elk Grove athletes won gold in Roseville however Erwin was one of only two athletes who were chosen to represent their team. His co-athlete, Karissa is the national media representative for Northern California, as part of her role, she setup a twitter account so followers can get an update of her experience as an SONC athlete.
Here are the highlights of this whirlwind weekend:
Friday:
Bright and early was a live coverage of Good Morning Sacramento (local morning TV show) to cover the tweetup (goggle it) and promote Special Olympics, Erwin was there smiling for the cameras with his bright green Elk Grove shirt on!
Mid day brought us to the west steps of the State Capitol to meet up with the Olympic torch and its bearers. The California law enforcement officers are the main sponsors of the summer games. They presented a check to Sp. Olympics for over 900K. The emcee of this event was a Down’s Syndrome teenager who was very eloquent and had a good sense of humor.
Early afternoon was spent in another media event at the actual tweetup in Davis where the twitter followers actually met up with the Elk Grove athletes. Athletes from Fresno and other counties attended as well.
Opening ceremonies was a surreal experience! The law enforcement officers lined up on two sides of a gigantic star made of balloons and the presentation of athletes began. The officers greeted each and every one of the athletes with a high five! Erwin and Karissa were the very last athletes to be presented since they were part of the host county: Sacramento. Here is the twitter entry before they were presented: http://tweetphoto.com/29164715. The most important people always come last!!!
Police cars representing all Northern Cal counties lined up one side of the UC Davis arena to serve as the backdrop for the Olympic flame cauldron. When the torch bearers of the “Flame of Hope” finally arrived at the arena and the cauldron was lit, all the police car lights were turned on and the signature Olympic music was played. Talk about a goose-bump moment!!!
The most touching part was the tribute to Eunice Kennedy who founded the organization. Without her, there wouldn’t be a venue for these kids to display their prowess in a society where perfection is the requirement for acceptance. A posthumous award was given to a coach who started volunteering when his own son qualified for the games. He battled cancer and continued coaching till the last days of his life. They also presented an award to one of the volunteers for her 40th year mark. Sp. Olympics is 42 years old!
After the opening ceremonies, the coaches brought the athletes to the UC Davis dorms to rest for the night. Vic and Ellis were almost in tears when they helped Erwin carry his bag to the coach’s car. I cried my eyes out! Erwin was so excited with his first ever sleepover, took his bag and said to us, “Be safe!” He didn’t even say good bye, didn’t look back...he was outta there!
Saturday:
Erwin’s first event was the 25 meter backstroke. Erwin who has been struggling with his arm movements in practice won his race by half a lap distance and yes with perfect arm strokes! Question remains: “Who is this kid?” Must be the adrenaline rush!
Second event was the 50 meter free style. Mind you this is his first year of competition and he has never done the 50 meters (2 laps). He completed his first lap again with half a lap distance from his next competitor, stopped for 2 seconds to look at the coach, grunted, then went on again to finish his race. He reached the wall when all the other boys were just completing their turn to do the final lap. After that race a couple of coaches commented on how “fast that Erwin is!” He was like a rocket! He smoked his competition! One of the volunteers said, “Wow such power!” Woohoo!
Sunday, his 16th Birthday
The boys competing for 25 meters sang him the birthday song. His last event was the 25 meter free-style, one which he won his first ever competition gold. The announcer introduced him as: “On lane 8, celebrating his 16th Birthday, Erwin Garcia”. Everyone cheered for him! It was one of the last events of the morning so they combined two divisions in one. He went off and was leading for the first couple of minutes, looked on the side and saw everyone else were still lagging behind, hesitated, slowed down a bit then went on. He won a bronze medal. After the event, I asked him, why didn’t you go fast, fast, fast Erwin? He said, “They are my friends!” Aww, that is worth more than the shiniest gold!
Total count for his first season: Gold:3 Silver:1 Bronze:1. Not bad for a rookie! (Just an added note, yesterday, after he won his second gold of the day, another kid who was sharing our bleacher just won a bronze medal, I told him, Erwin, all you need is a bronze medal and you’ll have all the colors! Such an obedient kid, wish granted mom!)
After this weekend's stellar swim, Erwin will be trying out for his High School's swim team.
All the Special Olympics activities are free-of-charge to the athletes, one of only a few that Arnold’s budget hasn’t cut yet!
So in passing, I also wanted to ask you that next time you are inclined to make a donation, consider sharing your blessings with the Special Olympics. Here is their website: http://www.sonc.org/
There are also easier ways to share with these amazing kids: eat at Denny’s, proceeds of their income from the Grand Slam goes to SO; www.escrip.com for those families who have transitioned out of elementary school, you can still continue doing scrip.
Erwin's dad, his brother and I have been humbled and honored to be a part of the miracle transformations of these kids, from being ridden with disability to jaw-dropping awesomeness!
And oh, next time you get stopped by a police officer, please thank them for us, for supporting our kids, they have tirelessly volunteered their time, money and energy to this cause…who knows you might just get a waiver for that speeding ticket :)
And for all those of you who have read through all these, THANK YOU…for indulging me, for letting me share my experience. Last Saturday was my Mom’s birthday, I prayed for her to help Erwin win a medal, just one…my son got three…generous still even from a different dimension!!!
Tonight is the culmination of a life defining weekend:
A weekend wrought with emotions as we were eye witnesses to Olympic Gold medal success stories driven by pure determination.
A weekend admiring volunteer coaches as they supported their competitors, yes the operative word is volunteer...giving so much of themselves without asking for anything in return.
A weekend watching parents endure the most mundane to the most inspiring manifestation of unconditional love.
A weekend knowing that although each and every family member there understood what a disability does to a lifetime, hinging on hope and reassurance to have the verve to declare that life is perfect as it presently is.
A weekend of finding new lifelong friends, in the process of realizing that everyone is on the "same boat", yet sailing peacefully with grateful acceptance of the rough waters that have challenged each and every sail.
A weekend cheering athletes who are considered limited on land but formidable forces to contend with in the sky blue water.
Finally, a weekend spent not judging BUT celebrating the “slight imperfections” of our children and yes indeed, they are the special ones!
