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Mahoning County’s 400 relay takes second in Special Olympics state meet
Mahoning County’s 400 relay takes second
By BOB ETTINGER
Normally, David Grossman presides over a bus of athletes who are quiet while readying themselves to compete. The Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities Special Olympics Coordinator was on a very different kind of bus ride Friday morning.
The MCBDD Special Olympians departed Leonard Kirtz School and traveled to Columbus for the State Summer Games at Ohio State University.
“It was quite a send-off,” Grossman said. “They really enjoyed it. Usually, they’re subdued, but they were a little loud today.”
The games kicked off with opening ceremonies and the 400-meter relay Friday evening at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Mahoning County’s team of Marlena Timmerman, Fabiana Cavour, Takeisha Jackson and Lakeshia Stanley finished second in the 400-relay with a time of 1:33.
The volleyball and track teams will compete today at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium and the OSU Recreation Center, respectively.
“Just having the opportunity to go to the Summer Games allows them to show people what they do,” Grossman said. “It’s not just a one-weekend event. They work at this year all year. It’s nice for them to see the work come to fruition and for them to see the benefits of what they’ve been doing all year. When they look in the mirror, they get a true sense of accomplishment. There’s a great amount of dedication among this group of athletes.”
The athletes competing over the weekend include members of the volleyball team, Paul Adamovich, Bryan Davis, Neil Gruber, Robert Hewitt, Michael Klaus, LaKeith Robinson, Michael Timmerman and Shawn Trifero and members of the track and field team, including Fred Beshara, Owen Botzenhart, Cavour, Amy Helmuth, Tammy Helmuth, Jackson, Brandon Macias, Reynaldo Matos, Jennifer Mikovich, Robert Monoski, Mark Saraceno, Stanley, Marlena Timmerman and Matthew Timmerman.
“They were just beside themselves this morning,” MCBDD Special Olympics Spokesperson and parent to several of the athletes, Sandy Timmerman said. “They wait for this every year. They get to go away and stay in the dorms. There’s a whole weekend of fun. They are treated royally down there. They get meals, there’s a Health and Wellness Van, there’s stuff for them to do all day. Saturday evening, they all get to go to a dance. [Grossman] takes them all out to dinner on Saturday night.”
The athletes are at the Games to compete, as well, and when that time comes, Grossman will have them ready.
“That’s the fun part of coaching these athletes,” Grossman said. “They know me. They’ve been around me for a long time. They know when it’s time to get serious. I remind them they work hard every day in practice and it’s time to show everybody what they can do. As soon as I say that, there’s a change in them. They can flip that switch. That’s a testament to wo they are. It also helps there’s a stadium full of people cheering them on.”
In the end, it’s more than medals the athletes will be bringing home as the Austintown Police and Fire Departments escort them from the highway back to Leonard Kirtz School on Sunday evening.
“They make new friendships and rekindle some old ones,” Grossman said. “Some of these people they get to see only once a year. They learn sportsmanship. Above all else, they learn sportsmanship. We want them to get up on the fence and cheer everyone on. We teach them that, but to see them get up and do it on their own, it’s nice to see. It’s an experience that’s hard to teach, but it’s nice to see them own it.”