Special Olympics athletes spring into 6th annual Sports Classic
By Bryant Florez
April 21, 2005 9:00 p.m.
Sports mean different things to different people. Some play just
for recreation, while others play to make a living.
But for the athletes of the UCLA Special Olympics, sports take
on a whole new meaning, and during this Sunday’s Sixth Annual
Spring Sports Classic at UCLA, these athletes will get to show off
their talents and come together and bond with one another.
Established in 1979, the Special Olympics program at UCLA was
established for special-education students from Dorsey High School
in Los Angeles to have them participate in different sports on the
UCLA campus every Saturday.
“To them, sports isn’t just sports ““
it’s a support network and a home away from home,” said
fourth-year Alison Cubre, a director of the program.
“I’m constantly in awe at what some of these
athletes can do. I’ve even seen athletes dunk.”
On a regular basis, 20 to 30 athletes from South Central Los
Angeles board a bus and head to UCLA on Saturdays to prepare for
such events. Once on campus, they practice a variety of sports,
including basketball, soccer, bocce ball, tennis and softball, in
preparation for future tournaments that are held throughout the
Southland.
For this Sunday’s event, ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. in
Pauley Pavilion, and include a torch run along the gym floor by one
of the athletes.
The tournament then runs throughout the day with the athletes
competing in either tennis or basketball, both of which are split
into several levels of competition.
Since the program’s establishment, it has grown into the
only student-run Special Olympics program in the nation, which
still continues to pick up the athletes every Saturday morning from
the Dorsey campus.
Participation has expanded to include a greater portion of the
surrounding community, and some of the original athletes are still
competing.
“Special Olympics has had a big impact on a lot of student
coaches and often influences their career paths,” said
recently graduated student Jim Perry, one of the directors of the
program.
