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| Left to right are Benjamin Graham, Kelly Hsieh, and Jim Rimmer in front of the Special Olympics ice skating event at the Quest Arena |
In mid-February, my colleague Dr. Kelly Hsieh and I spent five days in Boise, Idaho, at the Special Olympics World Games. It was quite an event, especially for someone who has never attended the Winter Games. We were amazed at the level of talent among the 2,000-plus athletes who traveled from all over the world and over 100 different countries. Having been in the field of adapted physical activity for over 30 years, I was well aware of the growing stature of Special Olympics worldwide, but I didn't realize that the level of finesse and skill in performing very difficult sports requiring substantial fitness and eye-hand/eye-foot coordination had increased to such new heights over the last two decades.
Our role at the Games was to begin collecting data on the health status and health behaviors of 2,000 adults with intellectual disabilities. The goal of the study, which is jointly funded by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Intellectual Disabilities and Special Olympics International (SOI), is to examine over a 5-year period changes in health status and health behaviors (e.g.. physical activity, nutrition, oral health, smoking, alcohol consumption) among adults 18 and older with intellectual disabilities. This is the first time that anyone has examined these behaviors longitudinally (across time), and SOI is an ideal partner for a study of this nature since it is now starting to collect health data on a percentage of its athletes using an electronic record that will allow SOI staff to interact with the athletes' family members and health professionals when they return home from the Games.
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| Torch lighting at the Opening Ceremonies, Idaho Center |
My intention when I arrived in Boise Tuesday evening was to begin responding to the 150 or so emails that had accumulated in my in-box from the previous week because of a 3-day out-of-office meeting. On Wednesday morning, Dr. Hsieh and I decided that it would be good to catch a brief glimpse of the Games and return to our hotel rooms after a couple of hours to get some work done before heading over in the evening to the
Healthy Athletes screenings at Boise State. But that never occurred. After entering the floor hockey arena for a quick view of the competition, we ended up joining others in the stands along with our project coordinator, Benjamin Graham, and were immersed in a highly competitive contest between Canada and the Dominican Republic. I locked into one young man from Canada who was extremely competitive and quite talented. You could tell by his facial expression that he did not want to lose and he did everything physically possible to keep his team in the game. I will never forget the expression on his face when the final second ticked off the clock and his team lost by one goal. The level of disappointment was something that most of us have experienced in different aspects of our lives - so close to the win but falling just a little short.
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| Athlete, individual figure skating event, Quest Arena |
Afterwards, we headed over to the ice skating arena to catch a glimpse of the competition and the same situation occurred. We were planning to stay a few minutes and then head back to the hotel room to check emails but it never happened. Once again we were hooked on the level of competition, replete with music, sparkling costumes, a radiant crowd, and highly talented athletes from France, Russia, China, Taiwan, and more than two dozen other countries. The atmosphere was electrifying. A few minutes turned into a couple of hours, and before we knew it, the afternoon was gone and the evening was spent at the
Healthy Athletes screenings. The same thing occurred the next day: we planned to catch a few peeks of the competition and spend the rest of the day in the hotel room getting some work done. We headed over to the ice skating arena for the finals competition and were once again locked into the high level of athleticism, which was certainly no match for spending time in the hotel room working!
Those four days in Boise, Idaho, will go down as one of the most enjoyable and exciting sporting events that I have ever attended. The Winter Special Olympics Games has been transformed into an international sporting event that will continue to grow as world leaders recognize the value of sports competition for all its citizens, including people with intellectual disabilities. The organization that Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver started some 40 years ago has morphed into a highly spirited and engaging competition that has changed the world's view of intellectual disability. Bring on Athens in 2011!
Please send any questions or comments to Jim Rimmer, NCHPAD Director at jrimmer@uic.edu.
