February 9, 2009 -- DARTMOUTH ATHLETES VOLUNTEER AT SPECIAL OLYMPICS
By Jeff Friedman, Jaeger Civic Intern
On January 24th, over 50 Dartmouth Varsity Athletes devoted their day to volunteering at the Winter Special Olympics held at the Dartmouth Skiway in Lyme, NH. With well over 100 Special Olympics athletes competing in several events such as snowshoeing and skiing, the day was filled with excitement. Dartmouth student-athletes from many sports, including football, track and field, skiing, and tennis came out to volunteer. Monica Hernandez, a '10 on the Women's Cross Country and Track and Field Teams, volunteered in the snowshoeing competition and said that, “As an athlete I think we have a heightened appreciation for accomplishment and achievement in competition, and it was great to know that we were able to help the Special Olympic athletes reach that familiar feeling.” Similarly, her teammate, Lauren Campfield '11 echoed similar sentiments about how rewarding of a day it was. Campfield said that “Although it might have been one of the coldest experiences of my life, I really enjoyed helping out at the Special Olympics. I really enjoyed talking with the kids and watching them get excited when I got excited for them. Overall, it was a good time and nice reminder to keep things in perspective.”
The Men's Tennis Team also volunteered in the snowshoeing competition, which in itself had about 6 races with over 30 competitors in each race. David Fink, an '11 on the Tennis team, was very enthusiastic about his time at Special Olympics when he stated that, “It was really great to see everyone cheering their peers on. Whether someone came in first or last, anyone competing deserved applause." Fink's teammate, Harold Strunk is a freshman and has definitely seen the impact that the Special Olympics has had on his college experience. Strunk said that, “Being in college, it seems that the majority of my time is spent on "me". It was great to give back to others, yet more importantly see just how important these games were for not just the participants, but also the parents as well.” As Strunk and Fink state, it is great not only to cheer for the athletes at the Special Olympics but to get to know them especially because they are competing just as hard as Dartmouth athletes do on a regular basis.
While the Men's Tennis Team and the Women's Track and Field Teams were volunteering in the snowshoeing competition, football players were helping people park cars and find their way to certain events. Kyle Battle, an '11, on the Football Team has experience with Special Olympics because his brother has Down's syndrome. Battle really enjoyed his time volunteering at this Winter Special Olympics. “I find volunteering for the Special Olympics very rewarding because the athletes aren't wrapped up in winning and losing like Varsity Athletes can be. It's the joy of competing that excites them. Being that I have a brother who has Down's syndrome with whom I've actively participated in the Special Olympics, I know the joy that receiving a medal can bring. My brother has his SO medals right next to my basketball and football trophies in our trophy case. They mean the same to us equally.” It is great that Dartmouth has athletes like Battle who realize the importance of the Special Olympics and realize the joy that athletes get from it. Along with Battle, many other football players were there to help out and it was great to see so many Dartmouth athletes graciously volunteering their time.
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