THE WRITING ON (AND OFF) THE WALL HEART OF SPECIAL CHAMPIONS.Byline: TOM HOFFARTH The gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize dangling at the end of the ribbon around the neck of Jeffrey Ewing is inscribed in·scribe tr.v. in·scribed, in·scrib·ing, in·scribes 1. a. To write, print, carve, or engrave (words or letters) on or in a surface. b. To mark or engrave (a surface) with words or letters. with four words: Skill, Courage, Sharing and Joy. Ewing has all of 'em. Not to mention a ton of heart. ``That was probably my fastest run ever,'' the 35-year-old from Chatsworth happily boasted after winning the 200-yard dash during the annual Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, 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. held over the weekend on the campus of Long Beach State. ``I don't think I could go any faster or else ...'' Or else he'd feel a pain in his chest telling him to stop. Ewing has Williams Syndrome Noun 1. Williams syndrome - a rare congenital disorder associated with deletion of genetic material in chromosome 7; characterized by mental deficiency and some growth deficiency and elfin faces but an overly social personality and a remarkable gift for vocabulary , a rare genetic disorder that affects one in 20,000 births. And in one of those tragic ironies for him, the condition affects the heart and blood vessels Blood vessels Tubular channels for blood transport, of which there are three principal types: arteries, capillaries, and veins. Only the larger arteries and veins in the body bear distinct names. , narrowing the aorta and pulmonary arteries. It means monitoring cardiac status is vital. Yet, despite his love of working as a volunteer with the fire department, Ewing's identity is as a runner. It's what his heart tells him to do. The media loves to throw out the phrase ``heart of a champion'' to set apart those athletes who go beyond the norm, overcome some sort of adversity, won't give up until the goal is attained. There was a movie made about the life of Ray Mancini Raymond Michael "Ray" Mancini (born March 4, 1961) is an Italian American former boxer from the south side of Youngstown, Ohio. He held the World Boxing Association lightweight championship for two years in the 1980's. with that title. Remember? Didn't think so. But then you find yourself at one of these special events, and it's so obvious what heart and champions are made of. They appreciate opportunity. They seize the moment. They are humble in victory. Well, sort of. Seems another interesting feature of Williams Syndrome is an overly friendly personality. They're very endearing, extremely polite, unafraid of strangers. Jeffrey fits that, too. ``You want to interview me?'' Jeffrey immediately asked as he bounced from the tent that cast some shade over a group of athletes from the Tri-Valley team at the track-and-field venue. About 70 athletes from the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys represented the region under head coach Calvin Samuel, who also has been an assistant for Taft High of Woodland Hills' football team the past 11 seasons. ``I'll tell you something about Jeffery, and of all these kids,'' Samuel said. ``When I'm trying to teach something to a high school athlete, it takes a lot of time to prove to them that what I'm saying is going to work. A lot of time. ``But these kids, they trust me emphatically. There's no charade with them. And my rewards are immediate. I don't have to wait until they graduate or become a CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. or play at a Division I school.'' Another coach, former NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga lineman Shannon ``Irish'' Curtis, who works with special teams and the defensive line at Thousand Oaks High, echoes Samuel's modest words. ``I wouldn't miss this weekend for anything,'' he said. ``I can't use the word `handicapped' any more with these kids.'' It's nice how former athletes so easily gravitate grav·i·tate intr.v. grav·i·tat·ed, grav·i·tat·ing, grav·i·tates 1. To move in response to the force of gravity. 2. To move downward. 3. toward programs like these, helping others less fortunate. One, former Olympic decathlete de·cath·lete n. An athlete who participates in a decathlon. Rafer Johnson, might end up being recognized more as a symbol of the Special Olympics' success - he's the chairman of the Board of Governors for the whole thing - instead of his personal achievement. The words these people keep repeating is how humbling an experience it is. The hundreds of volunteers who work directly with the thousands of special athletes tell you the same thing. Now, how great would it be if more current athletes found time to come out to this event and actually meet some special competitors. ``I'm a big fan of Shaq and Kobe ever since they came to L.A.,'' Jeffrey says. ``But I've never met them.'' If they did meet, all would benefit beyond words. But it would have to come straight from the heart. |
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