Athletes share spirit of camaraderie Special Olympians thrive amid heat during Maine Summer Games

ORONO – More than 1,000 athletes were undaunted by hot, humid conditions during the Special Olympics Maine Summer Games at the University of Maine over the weekend.

The athletes look forward to the event all year, their coaches say.

“It’s not about winning, it’s all about the kids having fun,” said Francie Butler, a coach of the Brewer High School team.

Each June the UMaine community welcomes the Special Olympians, who come from every corner of the state. The athletes fill the UMaine track to compete in a variety of events. Events include the standing long jump, running long jump, softball and shot put throw, 50-, 100- and 200-meter dashes, 4×100 relay, and the one-mile run.

Justin Beliveau, 16, of Old Town High School practiced every day to prepare for the games and went on to win a gold medal in the mile run.

“Yeah I like it a lot. I really worked hard,” he said.

It was Megan Dyer’s first year at Special Olympics. Dyer, 17, of the Oxford Hills of South Paris team, said she “had a lot of fun” and definitely would come back next year.

Dyer helped her senior relay team capture a gold medal in the 4×100. She also competed in the shot put and running long jump.

One of Brewer’s teams in the 4×100 relay team didn’t win, but still showed the true spirit of the games as the runners were still happy after the event. They knew they ran their hardest and they were proud of their efforts.

Mark Capano, director of Training and Area Development for Maine Special Olympics, said the Special Olympics “empowers the athletes to do their best” and “gives them an opportunity to fit in society where they weren’t always accepted.”

The Special Olympics give off a good, positive feeling for the athletes and also encourage friendly competition, he explained.

“It’s not just a competition, it’s the socialization that goes with it: meeting friends, and meeting new friends as well,” Capano said.

Capano said the athletes love the chance to compete but the event they love the most, the dance, occurs Saturday night.

The athletes from different teams enjoyed interacting between events during the steamy Saturday. They introduced themselves with a handshake, wished each other good luck, and asked what events they were doing.

Matthew Sawyer, 17, of Brewer High School said he enjoyed the competition and added, “I made some new friends.”

Sawyer placed second in the running long jump and also competed in the 100-meter dash, 4×100 relay, and softball throw.

Besides the competition, the Special Olympians also enjoyed a parade leading up to the formal start of the games Friday night. The parade included screeching fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, a clown waving from up high in a cherry-picker, Disney characters, familiar Sesame Street faces, go-karts, bands and singers.

The neatest part of the parade was when all the teams lined up together across UMaine’s sidewalks and then marched into and around the track complex representing their teams.

I also served as a volunteer for the Brewer team and joined the parade along with two other volunteers who work each June at the games, my sister, Tess, and our cousin, Katie Butler. The Brewer team included my cousin, Daniel Butler, one of the many competitors who proudly walked around the track. Many of the athletes were enthusiastic and waved to family members and friends.

Other memorable moments followed for the athletes as the Eternal Flame of Hope was lit and everyone joined in to sing the national anthem.

The coaches say all participants try their hardest to follow the Special Olympics oath: “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” The bleachers erupted with pledges from the athletes when they were asked to recite it after the parade.