Day One
For some of the 1,500 athletes competing in Saturday’s first rounds, the day started early, at the Breakfast With Champions in the Pyramid, with keynote speaker Olympic medalist Peter Carruthers. Then, at nine in the morning, the games began. That meant, for the next seven hours, that there were basketball games in the Pyramid, track and field being run around the CSULB track, bocce on the softball field, competitive swim events in the pool, gymnastics in the Gold Mine, golf at Recreation Park, and tennis at El Dorado Park. The campus, and the city, was full of athletes, volunteers, and fans (all told, over 5,000 for the weekend) for Long Beach’s tenth consecutive year hosting the Special Olympics.
I got there early, planning to hike all over campus, take in every sport, cover it all and get photos of everything, and report back on the general experience of the entire event, which is one of the biggest athletic events in Long Beach each year. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, I spent a good chunk of Saturday in the Pyramid watching basketball. Why? Well, it didn’t hurt that it was hot and the ‘Myd was air conditioned, but I actually ended up with my butt glued to a seat because of how intense the games were. The ‘Myd was in “bleachers up” formation, leaving one set down for people to sit on, creating space for four games to be played at once. The space was needed (and more actually, games were played in the Gold Mine too), as there are ten divisions for Special Olympics basketball, divided by gender and ability level. On the center court, which the top-level Men’s Blue division held all weekend long, this is what I walked in on:
The Southeast L.A. Trailblazers were playing the Orange County Warriors, and held a slight 23-21 lead at halftime. The Blazers were fast, and strong, with a dominating big man who occupied the key like Shaq, a fast-driving forward who reminded me of Garnett, and a sharpshooting guard who could hit the three. The Warriors on the other hand were a fundamentals team with a great transition game, and a center who tossed strings of no-look passes to slashing guards. He did this (and pulled off a reverse layup later in the game) without the use of one of his hands.
After three quarters, the Warriors held a one point lead, and after an intense fourth, it was knotted at 37 with one minute left, until a no-look pass from the Warriors center found its target, who put in a layup, took a hard foul, and sunk the free throw, giving the Warriors a 40-37 lead that they hung on to for the win. Throughout the ‘Myd there were tattoos, squeaking shoes, guys who had trouble running taking hard charges (and complaining if they didn’t get the call), girls with vocal disabilities calling plays with their hands, and the most fair and judicious officiating I’ve seen on the hardwood in months. So that’s why I sat and watched basketball for three hours, sometimes forgetting that I was at this event as a working journalist. Finally, I tore myself away from the Blue division and headed towards the Track and Field events down campus.
I love track meets because there’s always something to watch, with two or three events going on at all times. When I arrived at the track Saturday afternoon, there was a wheelchair race, softball toss (basically a lower-weight shot put competition), and a foot race underway, as well as medals being handed out on the awards podium. Awesome. I saw a close wheelchair race that ended with one young man struggling to cross the finish line, being applauded by all the other competitors and their families as he crossed. Then I headed over to Expo Park, where different sponsors (Disney and the Angels etc.) had booths, and, more attractively, where a hungry writer could procure a burger grilled by the Long Beach Police Department for a few bucks.
Scarfing quickly so as not to miss any action, I saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse greeting athletes and their families, and watched as some of the basketball players I’d seen took on the rock climbing wall set up towards the side. It occurred to me as I filled my stomach that this was basically everything I’d expect from a world-class athletic competition, with vendors, tons of games and sports, and a festival atmosphere. The only thing I’d expect from a world class athletic competition that wasn’t there was cost: parking and attendance to all events were absolutely free to the public.
Then, as I was heading back to the air conditioned ‘Myd, a young woman who’d just taken silver in a 50m sprint came up to me holding up her medal and yelling, “I got it! I got it!” She grabbed me and gave me a huge hug, while her mom looked on, teary with pride.
I congratulated her, then took a few moments to regain my manly composure.
Back in the ‘Myd, I watched more basketball while keeping an eye on the gymnastics competition streaming live on my laptop through the Special Olympics website. Occasionally it occurs to me what a strange technological world it is I’m working in, and that was one of those moments. I continued to be impressed with the physicality and skill of play, and as guys hacked each other on the boards and then helped opposing players up off the floor, I realized I’d never seen a combination of this much competitiveness and sportsmanship on the same court. Excited for day two, I packed up my stuff, shook a few hands, and headed home.
Day Two
Sunday started at the ‘Myd again for me, as two final games would decide the winners of many of the ten divisions. Sunday was much quieter in the Pyramid than Saturday, and I noticed that many players from the teams in the bleachers had sunburns around their jerseys. It seemed that the players, as well as the crowd, were pretty exhausted. And rightfully so, after living in the dorms for a few nights, and soaking in Expo Park as well as Tent City, where athletes could hang out under their city’s tent in between events.
The Blue Division title, which I spent much of day one focusing on, ended up coming down to the very last game, with the Greater L.A. Great Steps playing the O.C. Warriors; if the Warriors won, they’d be in sole possession of the gold medal, if they lost, they’d be in a two-way tie with the Trailblazers. The game was tense, with the Warriors taking a six point lead into halftime. Great Steps brought it within one point before the Warriors unleashed fourteen straight points in the third and fourth to win the game by fifteen. At the awards ceremony held on the court immediately afterward, the love those coaches had for their teams was evident as they announced each player. And while the competition on the court was fierce, everyone was all smiles and handshakes and hugs during the medal ceremony after the final game. Both the men’s and women’s teams from Long Beach also took home gold medals in their divisions.
Making peace with the fact that I had made it to exactly no bocce, swimming, golf, or tennis (and had still had a full weekend!), I met up with Zoomy and we headed for the closing ceremonies at Expo Park. The music was thumping, and athletes and volunteers were dancing together in what normally serves as one of CSULB’s most hated places, the parking lot for Parking Enforcement. Again I found it hard to keep my focus and take notes, because I just wanted to grab a frozen lemonade and hang out, relaxing after seeing some great games at my alma mater. And then David Beckham took the stage, and everything pretty much went nuts after that. I remember that there was a lot of jostling and screaming, and my position in front of the stage suddenly became something I had to guard ferociously from photographers and cameramen. Beckham—who I don’t think knew he was supposed to make a speech—said a few words, presented a volunteer with an award for outstanding service, and brought the entire event to another level with his presence. This was not a bench reserve for the Ducks or a bullpen-dweller from the Angels, this was one of the world’s five most famous athletes there to give a nod and a congrats to these athletes, who’d given their all in the Cal State gyms and under the sun for the last two days.
After that, Rafer Johnson (Special Olympics Southern California co-founder) presented the Most Inspirational Athlete Award, which of course is quite competitive at the Special Olympics, where every person you talk to makes you feel lazy and underachieving. But as I listened to award-winner Matthew Prinster’s truly inspirational story, I was already expanding my view, looking out over the crowd. Glancing back at Beckham, the value of the Special Olympics became clear to me. Every athlete, whether that’s Beckham or Prinster, is attempting to achieve something with their body, a goal or running a race in a certain amount of time, or anything else you can think of. Even in a team sport, truly great athletes are competing with themselves, with their own physical limits and boundaries. And the Special Olympics athletes have limits, some of them, that are staggering. But by embracing those limits and trying to transcend them, their accomplishments become something much more than a finish line, or a reverse layup. They become something akin to athletics, to the competitive spirit of sport itself.
