Ronald Morin cherishes time at Winter Games Special Olympian’s joy contagious

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Ronald Morin enjoys everything about the Special Olympics Maine Winter Games. Staying in a condo? Loves it. Eating Pop Tarts late at night? Getting up early to chow down a couple chocolate doughnuts and a banana? Ditto. Competing … cheering for old friends … meeting new ones … and heading to the Victory Dance?

To borrow a phrase from pop culture, to Morin … it’s all good.

Even the weather.

“It’s not even cold. It’s not even windy. It’s a pretty good day,” Morin said, smiling into the vivid blue Carrabassett Valley sky.

Morin, a 49-year-old member of the Freeport Town Square team, arrived in Carrabassett Valley on Sunday night for the 34th annual Winter Games. Shortly after that, he began meeting friends. And as of mid-morning on Monday, Morin – a veritable one-man greeting committee – was still working the crowd at Sugarloaf/USA.

“It’s nice to see you! Be sure to cheer me on!” he told spectators and volunteers at the snowshoe venue, as he waited for his turn to race.

Mike Perkins, his job coach, said the always-smiling Morin – last year’s Frank Hemingway Award winner as the most spirited athlete at the Winter Games – just can’t … stop … talking.

“I remember everybody,” Morin explained. “I never forget a name.”

Perkins may have been skeptical when they arrived in Carrabassett Valley. But that was before he saw Morin in action.

“We came in last night, and he already has me convinced that he knows everyone here,” Perkins said. “And if he doesn’t, he’ll meet ’em.”

Nearby, Morin did just that, schmoozing a female volunteer who asked him about his evening plans: So, are you going to the dance?

The dance, of course, is THE social event of the winter.

And Morin had an answer. An enthusiastic answer.

A quick aside: Morin’s answers … and his greetings … and his questions, are all exclamations. Talk to him for long, and you’ll end up borrowing a few cups of his enthusiasm, and pouring them back on the fire.

“Yes! I’ve got a long line of pretty girls to dance with!” he said, before adding the volunteer to his mental dance card.

There were 500 or athletes at Sugarloaf on Monday, the first real day of competition.

There were plenty of races. And, as Morin proved – time after time – there is more than one way to notch a victory at the Winter Games.

On Tuesday, medals will be given out in his specialty. On Monday? It was time to talk … and hug … and yell … and celebrate … and (of course) line up dance partners.

At one point in the morning, Morin gave a volunteer a play-by-play account of last year’s fireworks display. The woman changed the subject to the dance, before Morin got his game face back on.

“One thing at a time, right?” he asked. “One thing at a time.”

In this case, the “one thing” is racing. Morin sat patiently as volunteers strapped shoes to his sizeable feet (“How do you like my new big, big boots?” he asked).

He waited patiently for his heat to be called to the starting line (though, when you know everybody, and enjoy talking, it’s pretty easy to be patient).

And finally, he raced … though he did continue to socialize all the way through the starter’s commands, and only stopped talking when everyone else in his heat bolted from the line.

Then he gave chase, bellowing “SMOKING! SMOKING!” before … you guessed it … smoking the competition, winning his 50-meter heat, greeting his timer with an on-the-gallop hug, and beginning another conversation.

“I did it!” he told the timer. You did, he was told. “I did it!” he reiterated.

Morin hasn’t always been a snowshoe expert. There was a day (“a long, long, long, long time ago,” he says) when he did a bit of skiing.

“But now I’m too old,” he said, before engaging a debate on whether 49-and-active really qualified as “old.”

“OK. I’m a young guy,” he conceded. “When I turn 79, I’ll be old. But I don’t want to think about that now.”

Fair enough.

After his 50-meter time trial – and after finishing fifth in his 100-meter heat later in the morning, Morin was content to stand on the sidelines and watch his fellow competitors shuffle and sprint (and sometimes fall) on the snowshoe course.

In the same situation, some might consider their day finished. But here? Now? Him? Just because he’s done racing for the day, that doesn’t mean Morin is done.

After all, there’s lunch to look forward to. And the opening ceremonies and parade … and dinner … and a shower … and the dance … and fireworks.

But before that? He just wanted to help. He is, after all, the current Hemingway Award winner. And he’s got a reputation to protect.

I want to cheer people on,” he told Perkins. “And I’ll take a nap later. Right?”

Perkins nodded his head, and the pair ambled away, looking for a good spot to cheer on old friends … and make new ones.

If you’ve got a couple hours free today, you may want to head for Augusta and the annual Fur, Fin and Feather Day at the State House’s Hall of Flags.

The event, which features booths run by a number of outdoors-oriented groups, will run from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Gov. John Baldacci will speak at noon. His speech will deal with the importance of wildlife management and the upcoming bear referendum.

It should be an informative affair.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.