Group helps Special Olympians

Spirit of Sport volunteers supported local Special Olympians for a day of bowling Saturday.\nAt the Classic Lanes bowling alley in Bloomington, many Area Ten Special Olympians competed to move from the regional level to state level in bowling. Although only a few of the Olympians get to move on to state, the event was fun for everyone.\nOtis Elevators sponsored the event and provided volunteers to monitor the event. \n"This event gets students, community and family volunteers working together to form bonds with the Special Olympians," said senior Brad Logar, Spirit of Sport president.\nSenior Jessica Fishman, marketing vice president for Spirit of Sport, said the actual competition is only half the fun -- volunteers have as much fun as the bowlers.\n"This event allows us, as volunteers, to see how much Special Olympians enjoy participating in sports and how much Special Olympics affects their lives," Fishman said.\nThe volunteers don't mind not bowling -- they say seeing how happy the Olympians are is more than enough.\nStill, the event is about competition. The competitors worked hard to get to the tournament and must follow specific rules.\nBill Goveia, the Management Director of Area Ten and an education school employee, said he wanted the event to be good. The participants were not to use any profanity or perform any other unacceptable acts.\nAthletes were hugging, slapping high-fives and laughing after almost every bowl. Even if a bowler didn't get a perfect strike, they were just happy to be there.\nVicki Loring, competition director for Area Ten, said the Olympians had been looking forward to the event for a long time. She said the event is a "celebration rather than a competition"