 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
A Slice of the Olympics
May 31, 2008
Every year, thousands of eager participants from various schools in Michigan take part in the Special Olympics. MSU students who were part of the event this summer came back with insightful stories about the event and its participants. Matt Zimmerman, president of American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) and main coordinator of the event said, “It was rewarding being a part of the event and spend a day with these special children. I came to know about the event during one of our clinical skill classes. I decided to become involved and thought my fellow ACOFP members would be interested in volunteering as well. We started at 7:30 in the morning and joined other volunteers to help them set up the stage, roll out the mat and get the stage ready for the 200 to 300 athletes participating in the long jump.”
The host for the event was Central Michigan University, who did everything to make the event a big celebration. Volunteers provided the final touch, helping the athletes get started with their individual events. Monique Turner, a second-year student and the volunteer of the event said, “We helped with the long jump - measuring the length of each jump and presenting prizes to the competitors.”
“We taught some of the kids how to jump. They were all trying their best to win medals. We tried to be their friend and supporter, said Jia Zhang, second-year student.
For the participants, it was more than just a day of sports. “All of them were assigned to a coach who trained them yearlong for different trials, just like the regular Olympics, and prepared them to compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals,” continued Zia.
Indeed, it was a great opportunity for the ACOFP members not only to explore a different side of the Olympics and but also reach out to the children. “I always wanted to volunteer for the Special Olympics. This was an ideal opportunity to know these children better. They were very competitive and serious. Every bit of the program was a valuable experience," said Sarah Elizabeth Servinsky, a second-year student. Students had umpteen reasons for volunteering. According to Marjan Moghaddam, a second-year student, “I like kids and it is a joy to watch them succeed. My group had six kids and most of them had their own gold or silver medal.”
“This was an opportunity to do something for these children. I was amazed to see their enthusiasm and determination on winning the challenge. It was a great joy meeting and interacting with all the participants,” said Eric Leikert, second-year student.
“At the end of the day it really paid off seeing smile on their faces. Being part of the Special Olympics gave me a chance to contribute and make some difference in the lives of these kids. I believe this is something that everybody should get involved,” chuckled Matt.