It’is the time of the year when Special Olympics athletes are in the midst of their most intense training.
They are on the track, in the pool and on the bocce court sharpening their skills for the big competition event of the year – the Special Olympics Barbados National Games.
The action will start on March 1 with the National Games track and field preliminary meet at the Desmond Haynes Oval in Black Rock.
Athletes from age eight to adult will be seeking qualification for the finals, scheduled for March 8 at the Desmond Haynes Oval.
In addition to running events, from dashes to middle-distance and relays, competition will be held in the long jump and softball throw.
The meet is almost certain to feature the Barbados athletes who won gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece.
On March 10, the focus will shift to the hockey AstroTurf in Wildey for the bocce tournament.
Once again, medal winners from the World Games will join their fellow athletes on the court for bocce, a bowling game of Roman origin. Bocce, which is still popular in Italy, requires excellent hand-eye coordination, which the Barbados bowlers have mastered.
The month of competition ends the next day with a splash. The aquatics meet is set for March 11 at the Aquatic Centre in Wildey.
There is always lots of excitement around the pool and this year’s meet promises more of the same.
The Special Olympics Barbados National Games are held each year in March – The Month Of The Disabled.
Still ahead on the calendar are two more major competitions: a football tournament and a cricket competition. The football event kicks off May 10, with cricket in October.
The experience of competition and joy of accomplishment are always intensified for the intellectually challenged Special Olympics athletes when fans are in the stands to cheer them on. (PR)
