Special Olympics Summer Games Open, Thousands of Athletes Descend on Happy Valley

The sound of thousands of red thunder sticks and the State College High School marching band filled the air around Beaver Stadium Thursday night as enthusiastic Special Olympics participants made their way down Curtin Road.

Drizzly skies couldn’t keep away the thousands of athletes, volunteers and coaches from the Pennsylvania Special Olympics Summer Games opening ceremony at Medlar Field. The three-day competition is now underway at several different venues around State College and on Penn State’s campus. A cast of thousands is involved, including 2,000 athletes, 1,500 community volunteers and 750 coaches.

For the Special Olympians, the competition provides a chance to shine, after a year’s worth of training and preparation. Doug Smith of Berks County said that his daughter Emily, a bowler, has been practicing since September for this weekend.

“This is really a collection of God’s most unique people – people who are able to give unconditional love,” Smith said. “I’m blessed to have one child here, and if you look around, there’s a couple thousand. It’s always awesome.”

For many families, the Special Olympics serves as a time to spend a weekend together. Tina Hardinon, of Philadelphia, has been to more Special Olympics than she can count for her grandson Matt, a basketball player.

“It’s just so special for everybody and I would never miss it,” Hardinon said. “Wait until you see the games tomorrow. Every one of them is smiling. Matt has been playing basketball all winter for this.”

For others, this marks the beginning of their Special Olympics career. Jairo Berger, of Chester County, is here for the first time competing in track and field but he has high hopes for the weekend.

“It means a lot to be here. I worked hard for it,” Berger said. “I’m hoping to win it all.”

Matt Carney, also of Chester County, was visibly thrilled to be here. He and his teammates were laughing and running around as the rain came down on the crowd towards the end of the ceremony.

“It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be crazy,” Carney said. “I think we came in third last year so we’re trying to beat that. Just being on campus is the best part.”

Penn State tight end Adam Breneman was a big hit with the crowd, signing hundreds of autographs and taking pictures with the athletes. He said that 30 to 40 football players volunteered throughout the day.

“It’s a good opportunity for us as football players to give back,” Breneman said. “The community helps us out so much as players. You only need to spend a day around this team to see how important community service is to this football program.”

All events are free and open to the public, and the full schedule of events can be found by clicking HERE.