TERRE HAUTE —
The gym echoed with cheers, applause and whistles as the Putnam County Special Olympics volleyball team awaited its opportunity to play for a division 1 gold medal Sunday morning.
The seven-member team, coached by Mary Lee Rippy, was fired up. “It’s awesome,” said Michael Chittenden, one of the athletes. He enjoys not only the competition, but also meeting up with friends.
Other matches were under way in the north gym of the Health and Human Services building at Indiana State University, where volleyball competition took place.
Team member Kaitlin Enlow said her favorite part of the Summer Games is “having fun with my teammates, mostly.”
Another team member, Patrick Osterhoubt, looks forward to tough competition. He’s been coming to the Summer Olympics for 25 years, he said.
Competition wrapped up Sunday for the 43rd annual Special Olympics Indiana Summer Games. It was a record year for athletes, who numbered 2,638 from 68 counties.
Also, there were 2,500 volunteers, including 1,700 to help run the event and about 800 who served as coaches, said Jeff Mohler, vice president of programs for Special Olympics Indiana.
“It keeps growing,” he said, crediting the support of the community, corporate sponsors, ISU, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Dave Patterson of the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau. For the past two years, aquatics competition has taken place at Rose-Hulman.
Participating in the Summer Games means a lot to the athletes, Mohler said. “It gives them an opportunity to really find out who they are, what skills they have, to learn what it means to be on a team and also to push themselves to their limits,” he said.
Athletes must take part in a training program for at least eight weeks.
Among the participants Sunday was Jon Schalburg, 48, of Terre Haute, who proudly showed the second-place medal he earned in bocce. “That’s wonderful Jon,” said his mother, Hazel Schalburg, who is 89.
Jon wore a lime green shirt that had written on the back, “Believe it. Achieve it.”
For many years, he participated in swimming events. While he can’t do swimming anymore for health reasons, he enjoys bocce, his mom said.
Hazel Schalburg is glad her son has the opportunity to take part in the Summer Games. “It means a lot to me,” she said. Her son and other special-needs athletes “have a desire to win and excel,” she said.
Friday’s opening ceremony “was exceptional,” she said.
Nearby, Bobby Brown also enthusiastically showed his medal from bocce competition. He’s participated in Summer Games for many years.
“He has a lot of trophies in his room,” said Maria Ramos, a staff member at ResCare, who was with Brown and some other ResCare residents.
Summer Games mean a lot to them, Ramos said. “They get to interact with a lot of people from a lot of different places. They get to have fun and be outside playing games. Also, they get awards, which makes them feel very important,” Ramos said.
Asked about Summer Games, Brown said, “I like it a lot. I like the people.” And, he loves listening to the music, which could be heard at Wolf Field.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Winners all: Special Olympics competitors in the shot put take to the podium Sunday morning to receive their medals and ribbons.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Competing: Brian Thomas of Vigo County looks for friends alongside the standing long jump area where he competed Sunday morning.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Leaper: Wesley Grubb of New Castle takes his turn at the standing long jump in Special Olympics competition Sunday. The three-day competition in Terre Haute ended by noon.
Discussion
Olympians enjoy competition, friendship
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