SPECIAL ATHLETES FIND FUN BOWLING : DAY AT LANES DEVELOPS PRIDE.Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer For Lucinda Cossar, sweet victory was bowling a 93. So sweet that the Special Olympics Special Olympics International sports program for people with intellectual disability. It provides year-round training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type summer and winter sports for participants. bowler cared little that the top score was more than triple hers. ``I learned from papacito,'' boasted Cossar, 45. After earning the top individual score on her bowling team, she remembered learning the skill at age 14 from her father. ``I wish he was here today,'' she said. Cossar was among nearly 200 bowlers who competed in the Special Olympics Area Bowling Tournament at Buena Lanes on Saturday. Ventura Marina Rotary volunteers oversaw o·ver·saw v. Past tense of oversee. the ninth annual event, which featured competitors from Ventura, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , Oxnard, Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. and Saugus. The Rotary, which has supported Special Olympics activities for the past nine years, sponsored this year's tournament by providing lunch and paying bowling alley costs, said club President Greg Kincaid. ``To them, score doesn't matter,'' said Kincaid as he watched dozens of bowlers scream in excitement over points less than 100. ``They don't feel anything but positive.'' Saturday's tournament was one of many competitions hosted by the Special Olympics program, which provides training and competition in athletic events for mentally retarded Noun 1. mentally retarded - people collectively who are mentally retarded; "he started a school for the retarded" developmentally challenged, retarded children and adults, said Bob Martin, Ventura County area director for the program. Athletes train and compete in basketball, gymnastics gymnastics, exercises for the balanced development of the body (see also aerobics), or the competitive sport derived from these exercises. Although the ancient Greeks (who invented the building called a gymnasium , power lifting, floor hockey and other sports. Physical games help the disabled develop endurance, balance and coordination, Martin said. Bowlers, for instance, sharpen sharp·en tr. & intr.v. sharp·ened, sharp·en·ing, sharp·ens To make or become sharp or sharper. sharp perception, focus, hand-eye coordination hand-eye coordination Eye-hand coordination Surgery Oculomanual synchronization, required by surgeons, especially for laparoscopic surgery. See Laparoscopic surgery, Paradoxical movement. and attention skills. Competitors also get a chance to show their courage, experience joy and create friendships with their teammates. ``This is a means to enable handicapped people to participate in sports at their own pace,'' said Gill Surmont, event director. ``It is a way for them to build self-esteem.'' Sixty teams played throughout the day, with bowlers ranging from 8 to 50 years old. Bowlers are ranked first by age, then by bowling average Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket. A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowler divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. . The highest score earned this year by a Ventura County bowler was 141 points out of a possible 300, Martin said. Last year, the top score was 202. Top players this year will compete in the Special Olympics Games in the fall. Many others will go on to play in regular leagues, Martin said. ``We are proud they do so well,'' Martin said. ``When you hear them scream when they strike, you realize this is what it's about.'' CAPTION(S): 4 Photos Photo: (1-2--color in SIMI edition only) Bowlers watch an attempt for the spare, above, at the Special Olympics Area Bowling Tournament at Buena Lanes in Ventura on Saturday. At left, Tanya Morris, 17, exults after toppling the pins. Nearly 200 handicapped individuals joined in the event sponsored by the Rotary Club. (3) Robby Heck, 16, gets set to bowl with a little help from his brother Daniel, 10 during the Special Olympics Area Bowling Tournament on Saturday. (4--ran in SIMI only) Frank Orozco, 17, reacts to a shot during Special Olympics bowling in Ventura, designed to help the disabled develop pride. Phil McCarten/Daily News |
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