Hello everybody! Here's part 2 of the post on people with special needs. I thinked I talked about the Special Olympics National games a bit before, and here's more on what I experienced!

Who competes in the games?

Students studying in special schools who have a variety of intellectual disabilities. Althought it's called the national games, there were some athletes from the Philippines and Malaysia as well. I'm not completely sure how old the particpants were but I do remmeber seeing stduents as young as 12 and as old 18 or 19. For the duration of the camp they resided in the hostels at the National University of Singapore(NUS)

What sports are played in the games?

I think that a lot of the games were outdoors this year. Soccer, bocce( a kind of ball game) and track and field events were played on the afternoon I was watching he games. I have also watched atheletes play floorball, floor hockey and bowling at other events. And I have watched training sessions for floor hockey before. The students really really do train hard; after school, on the weekends, during the school holidays.



Bocce



How able are the atheletes playing the games?

I guess many of you are probably wondering how able the athletes actually are. I guess it's only human nature to work hard at something you're truly interested in. What I'm saying is that they are very skillful at the sports they play. Honestly, when watching matches of contact sports like floor hockey, I wouldn't be able to tell that they are special people unless I was told so specifically. But maybe that's the beauty of the games- that it doesn't discriminate and it is just about the fervour with which you play the sport.



Track events



Who coaches the atheletes?

The staff at the Special Olympics Singapore. Although a lot of teachers in the special schools double up as coaches as well. I guess this is different from mainstream schools where professional coaches are hired to teach the kids. I can only imagine how tiring this is and it must be truly a labour of love. And I believe it is, because when they win a medal the children look so happy and fulfilled. But what truly makes me feel it is worth it is the pride of the parents of the atheletes. I could never truly understanding the difficulties of raising a child with special needs, but I can imagine it must involve a lot of anxiety about the child's future and happiness. I think competitions like these give hope to the parents that their children will find their own footing in life and that it will all be okay in the end.

Why do I watch the games?

It's common knowledge that I am not an athletic person. And to be honest I don't understand the rules of most of the sports I watched at the games. I watch because it makes me happy to see people trying their best as something they are passionate about and I feel proud to be part of something so positive, even if I'm just a spectator. I watch because it makes me want to be hopeful and positive about something as well. And most importantly it makes me see that sports is something that gives purpose to a young person, no matter what way he is special in.

I guess why I really wrote about this out of all things is because I hoped that people would read this and feel that they had learnt something about people that they didn't know before. In a way the games I went to weren't very different from the other games I've attended. The students were happy, cheering their friends on and sharing their pride over their achievements with their friends. I hope you felt uplifted reading about their hope!:)I'd appreciate any ( many) comments!:D

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