Earlier I write about the Paralympic Games in Sochi and compared it to when I watched the Special Olympics many years ago. I was going through some old notes on Facebook, and I came across this. It's from 4/17/08. But lately I've been having the same kind of thoughts in my head and this really kind of sums it up. I don't have to even read it.... So if you don't think it fits in, maybe that's my lack of pre-reading my own work. But, here it is....
I Want to Be in Last Place - Kelley Shepherd
How often is it that when you enter a contest, or a game, or a series of contests and games that you are proud of yourself for coming in last place? Don’t you just love the feeling of knowing that nobody finished after you? Well, to some people – most good sportsmen should be included – it’s not always about how you finish, but that you were there to play.
Today I went to watch the 2008 Special Olympics held at Saginaw Valley State University. I had never been to an event like that, and I’ve been trying my hardest to keep an open mind about things lately, so I was a little bit excited to see what I have been missing out on watching. I have had some opportunities to attend this type of event (since it was held at the college I graduated from and will be attending again in the up-coming fall semester) but never once thought about attending. My co-worker informed me this morning that two clients would be participating in the Special Olympics, and later one of the participating clients told me they were going there. I asked where they were held and she said down the road from school, which would be somewhere in New Lothrop or Chesaning. When my boss came in, she told me that she and I would be taking the client who doesn’t go to school to watch the Special Olympics.
When we got in there, everything seemed like a mess. Developmentally challenged people were everywhere. This didn’t scare me, or make me uncomfortable, because I’ve gotten used to my job and being around people who have special needs. There were some people on the winner’s podium, but nobody really saying what was going on. I thought, “Oh great, we came all the way out here to see our client and we won’t even know how to find her.” Only one of the clients ended up going. I saw some people who worked at my old high school, but didn’t get an opportunity to say hello.
Looking around, I had no idea who any of the people were, or what they were going to participate in. I didn’t even know what our client was going to participate in. The client we brought to watch was having behavioral issues and that made me wonder if I would even enjoy myself. After meandering around for awhile, I saw a familiar face: A schoolmate from high school that was in the special education classes. I used to talk to her almost every morning before school started and after classes were done at the end of the day. She was always so excited to talk to me, so I decided to take a trip down memory lane.
Obviously, I didn’t expect her to remember me by name, but I asked her anyways. She said she remembered me so I asked if she did remember my name. She told me I was somebody who I’ve never heard of, so I re-introduced myself. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure I ever told her my name or if she ever asked me while we were in school together. She told me what events she was doing and asked me if I was going to watch her. I said I would try to see her events, and I watched her do a “walk,” in which she ran her heart out and I cheered and clapped for her as she ran by me. I’m pretty sure she got second place. I don’t remember if I talked to her again, but I saw her with a ribbon on.
After talking and watching the race, my boss and I looked for our client in the mix. When we saw her we tried to get in the area where the school had congregated. When the client saw my boss, her face lit up. She was shouting and waving and coming over to see us. Then she saw me and the other client and got even more excited. She was clapping and saying “I’m in the Special Olympics!” over and over again. She was so happy, and it was just because we showed up to watch.
During the lunch intermission, another special education student from my old school crossed my path. This one knew exactly who I was. He gave me a big hug and we talked about his family, where he’s going to school now, and what he’s been up to. He treated my boss like he had known her for years. She asked him to repeat where his sister works and he interpreted it as her trying to remember his sister and said, “You’d know her if you saw her face,” and we laughed. We weren’t laughing at him, but the situation was funny. He showed me what events he was going to do, but I didn’t make it over to see any of his.
Our client’s event was a little bit after lunch time got over. So we pushed the other client’s wheelchair over to where the event was being held. She was participating in softball toss. We had a camera and got some pictures of her throwing the ball and standing in line. When she got done throwing, she was so proud of herself. She’s 56 years old and has the mental capacity of a four or five year old. She smiled the entire time and jumped around in excitement when she finished her throw, and then turned to cheer on her opponent.
When the event was over, our client received a 5th place ribbon. She was just as excited as when she threw the softball. She knew she got 5th place, but it was all about having a place. It was about being selected and rewarded. It wasn’t about competing to see who had a better throw, who was better than anybody else, or who won even. Everybody wins. Not because it’s the Special Olympics, but because they participate. Any situation is like that, really. We don’t always need to be humble like people say. In humility you have to admit that there’s a potential that somebody is better than you. But why bother considering anything better or worse than anything else? The fact is that we “play the game” – the game of life, as cliché as it is – and that we try. Coldplay refers to the lyric “If you never try, then you never know,” in most of the songs played on the radio stations. It’s because we all need reassurance that it’s OK to try something. It’s OK to fail even. Because, even if we come in last place, it means we finished. And there is no reason we can’t be proud of that.
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