By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent Media
There were plenty of gold, silver and bronze medals hanging around the necks of the Special Olympics athletes during the Ohio Indoor Winter Games this weekend at Bowling Green State University.
Basketball players, cheer teams and swimmers arrived in Bowling Green prepared for competition, camaraderie and lots and lots of cheering and clapping. The competition is real, yet the spirit of community that surrounds the games and the athletes is unmistakable.
It was standing room only in the turf side of Perry Field House where pom-pommed cheerleaders jumped, twirled, and clapped to the upbeat music to fire up the crowd.
Maria Gillman was bopping along as she proudly watched the teams compete. When it came time for her daughter Olivia to compete on the Westerville Wolves cheer team, coached by April Merryman, her mother stepped a little closer to take some photos.
“Olivia has been involved in Special Olympics for about three years participating in gymnastics, track and cheer, but cheer is her favorite,” her mother said. “The best part is that this is such a supportive community; wherever we go, and we travel a lot, everyone is there cheering on the athletes and doing what they can to make it a positive experience.”
The athletes are the heart and soul of the games, as evidenced by athletes such as Jessica Komjati, who is an experienced Special Olympics athlete from Gahanna, Ohio. Komjati has been involved in Special Olympics for 21 years, ever since she was 10.
She has competed at the local, state and national levels, competing in shot put, on a track relay team and in swimming, her all-time favorite sport. That’s probably because she often wins medals in swimming, whether it’s for a relay team or freestyle.
Komjati is proud of the four medals she won at the national Special Olympics Games in Lincoln, Nebraska when she was 18. But aside from the medals, she said the best part of participating in the games is “seeing all the athletes and cheering them on.” She has made friends with other athletes, coaches and staff and volunteers involved in the organization.
She also has become somewhat of a spokesperson and fundraiser for Special Olympics, always willing to tout its benefits. Komjati even traveled to Washington, D.C. “and spoke on The Hill to get funding for Special Olympics,” she said. She also recently spoke to a Moose Lodge to garner their support, which resulted in a $1,100 donation, according to her mother, Jackie Komjati.
Savannah Girolami and Olivia Coleman were first-time volunteers at the event. Girolami is a physical therapy student at the University of Toledo who signed up to help at the suggestion of one of her professors. She was there to work with the athletes on fitness, flexibility and other tips to help keep them in shape.
Interacting with the athletes was rewarding and refreshing for Girolami. “They are so engaged and ask such good questions,” she said. They also know that stopping at the station will earn them a sticker and eventually a prize for collecting stickers from all the stations, she said.
Coleman tagged along to attend the games with Girolami, but when she learned they still needed volunteers, she signed up on the spot and was enjoying watching the athletes, coaches and families get into the competitions.
Girolami and Colema, who were both track athletes at Purdue University Fort Wayne, were kind of in awe at the level of excitement and energy throughout the field house, where they volunteered.
“Everyone is so happy to be here,” Coleman said.
Girolami, who hopes to do in-patient physical therapy when she graduates in December 2024, said she was so impressed with the event she plans to volunteer again next year.
