A special day to shine
Special Olympics competition brings athletes to FD
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For Ada Kelley, there are many things that make Special Olympics competition days worth looking forward to.
"I like just being able to bowl and getting a medal," said Kelley, a veteran Special Olympics competitor from Southeast Valley. "I like my family to come and watch me."
Kelley was among the athletes from more than a dozen area schools who came to Fort Dodge Thursday for the regional Special Olympics Iowa bowling competition at Family Bowling Center, 3599 Fifth Ave. S.
Competition stretched throughout the day, beginning in the morning with athletes who bowl using ramps and continuing into the afternoon with the singles competitors.
But for the athletes, coaches and families filling the Bowling Center, the day was about much more than scores.
"They get to be like everyone else," said Jill Rasmussen, a teacher at Cooper Elementary School in Fort Dodge and the school's Special Olympics coach. "They get to have a special day that's just for them. The excitement that is on their faces all day is something that just can't be matched. It's fantastic."
Rasmussen brought four Cooper students to compete, but the excitement surrounding the competition started before they ever arrived at the bowling alley.
"In my classroom, yesterday the kids all cheered for their peers before they left the classroom," she said.
For Rasmussen, the Special Olympics also carries a personal connection that stretches back decades.
Her mother, Joi Rasmussen, coached Special Olympics athletes in Fort Dodge for more than 30 years.
"I feel like I'm able to follow in her footsteps, and that's special for me," said Rasmussen. "I have a little piece of her with me watching the kids participate."
Growing up, she said, Special Olympics competition days were treated differently than ordinary days in the Rasmussen household.
"The day of competition was a holiday in our house," she said. "Today is really special for me."
That sense of community is part of what keeps athletes coming back to compete.
Noah Bloomquist, a senior at Southeast Valley High School, said Thursday's competition gave him the opportunity to reconnect with athletes he has met through Special Olympics.
His favorite part?
"Seeing my Special Olympics friends again and to give lots of high fives," said Bloomquist.
Throughout the day, athletes representing schools from across the region took their turns on the lanes, with families, teachers, coaches and fellow competitors nearby to encourage them.
For athletes like Kelley, that support is part of what makes the competition meaningful and exciting.
Blue-ribbon winners from Thursday's regional competition will advance to the Special Olympics state bowling competition Nov. 21 in Waterloo.