GARDEN GROVE : Everybody Triumphs in These Races

Eleven-year-old Wesley Brewer grabbed the baton from his teammate and bolted for the finish line with grim determination.

But as he finished first moments later, his countenance lightened considerably. After an exchange of high-fives with his teammates, Brewer, with short and spiky blond hair, called the experience “fun.”

“I like to win,” he added.

The event was just one of the 20th annual Special Olympics games of the Garden Grove School District, which drew 230 special education students from 13 elementary, junior and high schools Friday. For three hours at Bolsa Grande High School, the students competed in track and field events including wheelchair and relay races, sprints, softball throw and long jump.

Throughout the morning games, the crowd of parents, teachers and participants seated in the bleachers called out encouragement to the competitors, often reserving the loudest cheers for those finishing last rather than first.

“It’s as much a victory to finish as it is to win,” said event coordinator Ray Furgeson. Training for the games, he said, “really encourages them to work toward a goal.”

“It also helps carry over into the classroom, especially with the younger kids,” he said. “They do better in academic subjects” because they learn discipline and self-control on the field.

He said the games were especially important for the students because they build their confidence. “For a long time, these kids have been made to feel like they’re losers. They come out here and they’re winners,” Furgeson said.

Furgeson added that the games also help regular high school students--who help coordinate the events--understand the needs of the handicapped and learning disabled. As a result, he said, “they don’t feel awkward about (approaching) the handicapped.”

Tramy Tran, 17, ASB president at Bolsa Grande High School, said “We don’t look at them differently.”

Tran, who also helped coordinate individual races, ran alongside many of the competitors, a feat which their speed sometimes made difficult. “I was huffing and puffing, and they were all breathing normally,” she said.

“They’re anxious to show off what they can do,” said Thomas Paine Elementary School teacher Lisa Slover. “I enjoy watching after all their hard work. They get really excited. They practice a lot.”

She also said the games were invaluable for many of her students, some of whom have been able to compete on regular teams. “I think that being in this kind of competition since they were little has given them the confidence” to do that.

Competitor Bill Sanders, 20, said: “It’s nice to run. I’m happy. I feel happy.”