Over 1,000 athletes and volunteers will converge on the former Lake Charles-Boston football stadium and the American Legion baseball field on Friday for the annual Southwest Area Special Olympics Spring Games.
Athletes from ages four to 99 will compete in over 20 events.
Sulphur High girls' head basketball coach Helen Lefevre has been involved with Special Olympics for over 20 years and will be coordinating the track events for the 16th year. For Lefevre the joy of watching the athletes compete never gets old.
"I totally enjoy it," Lefevre said. "When that gun goes off it is a highlight for them and to see the look on their face.
"It is real eye opener to see these kids competing for the joy of the competition. They train like our regular athletes do. For them, being able to come out and compete is great. It is not so much the competition but socialization."
The games will start with the opening ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. but there will be some running events that will start at 8:45 a.m. Athletes from the five-parish area of Calcasieu, Cameron, Beauregard, Jeff Davis and Allen will participate.
"Just come and sit and enjoy a good competition," Lefevre said. "Our athletes love to have people in the stands cheering for them.
"It will be a fun time to come out and watch some competition."
The opportunities for the participants does not just stop at the local level as they can also qualify for the state meet and then the national meet, which will be held in Nebraska during the summer.
Sulphur High will be sending one their largest group of athletes with over two dozen planning to participate. Not only will Sulphur High be sending a large group of athletes but they will also be sending over 75 volunteers made up of Sulphur High student-athletes and members of the SHS and 9th grade Leadership groups.
The desire to volunteer for the Spring Games is so great that Lefevre is forced to turn some down.
"Sad as it is, I can't take all of them that want to come," Lefevre said. "We take as many as we can possibly take.
"Our kids do a great job out there of interacting with the athletes. Our main job is once they are called to the staging area, the coach and parents are supposed to leave them and we are responsible for them after that. Our volunteers are directly responsible for those kids until we get them back to the coaches and parents. We are definitely excited to get those kids out there to represent Sulphur High."
In addition to the volunteers from Sulphur High, St. Louis and McNeese State University will be sending volunteers. Also sending volunteers will be Citgo, Conoco, Sasol, W.R. Grace, Wal-Mart, Entergy and PPG. S.P. Arnett and Maplewood Middle School will be sending their cheer squads to cheer the athletes on.
There will be a new event at the Spring Games this year called unified volleyball which is part of the nationwide Project UNIFY. Unified volleyball uses mixed teams of regular and special Olympic athletes. The purpose of Project UNIFY is 'to activate young people to develop school communities where all young people are agents of change — fostering respect, dignity and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities by utilizing the programs and initiatives of Special Olympics.'
"We are trying to change the perspective that the regular students have of the special ed students," Lefevre said. "We have some very good athletes that are going to compete on Friday.
"To be side by side with these Sulphur, St. Louis and McNeese athletes is very big for them."
Lefevre spoke of one Sulphur High student in particular who has already felt the effects of Project UNIFY - former Tor football player and pole-vaulter Daniel Menard. He holds the Sulphur High School record for the pole vault at 14'1".
"I brought a group of Sulphur kids to Hammond for the state unified volleyball tournament last year," Lefevre said. "Daniel Menard went over there, and after that he changed his major to Special Education.
"The way it touched him has changed his major and everything. When you get out there and get involved it is something that stays with you."
Events include:
Wheel chair races (25m, 30m, 50m)
Wheel chair obstacle course
Assisted walk races (10m, 25m, 50m)
Walk races (25m, 50m, 100m, 400m)
Races (25m, 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m)
Pentathlon (high jump, 400m run, 100m run, running long jump and shot put)
Running long jump
Standing long jump
Shot put
Softball throw
Tennis ball throw
Bocci (Italian lawn bowling)
Unified volleyball
