THRILL OF COMPETITION HUNDREDS TAKE PART IN SPECIAL OLYMPICS.Byline: Amy Raisin Darvish Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Eddie LeGault competed in tennis for the first time Saturday during 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. Spirit Games, but the veteran competitor is looking forward to his favorite event of bowling. ``My best score in bowling is 268. My average is 179. I did tennis today because I like to switch off different sports each season,'' said LeGault, 36, of Canyon Country. He was one of nearly 750 competitors at the third annual Santa Clarita Special Olympics. Events including swimming, track, basketball and golf were held at Hart High, Vista Valencia Golf Course and other local venues. About 210 of the athletes reside in the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. , while other competitors came from as far as San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , Palm Springs and Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. . Opening ceremonies began at 9 a.m. on the track at Hart High, where a sheriff's helicopter passed overhead. Leslie Borgen coordinated the event's food, most of which was donated by local restaurants. Chili's on The Old Road donated an estimated 1,500 hamburgers for the athletes and guests. ``Chili's was great. Noah's Bagels, Jamba Juice Jamba Juice is a high-end chain of smoothie restaurants headquartered in Emeryville, California with over 640 locations operating in 21 states, the District of Columbia and the Bahamas. Over 400 locations are company-owned, with the remainder being franchised. - I just can't thank them enough for their generosity,'' Borgen said. ``It's not easy making sure that many people are fed. It's a big job, but this community is just incredible.'' The Olympic Village Frequently, an Olympic Village is built within an Olympic Park or elsewhere in a host city. Olympic Villages are built to house all participating athletes, as well as officials, trainers, etc. The idea of the Olympic Village comes from Pierre de Coubertin. was set up in William S. Hart Park where athletes, families and the public enjoyed live music, games and food. Nancy Wayes, a massage therapist from Encino, joined the volunteer ranks and provided free massages to the competitors, coaches and an occasional athlete's relative. By 4 p.m. the crowds were gone and Wayes and the other volunteer masseuses had amassed an impressive jar of tips. It was Wayes who informed event organizers that the massage therapists decided to donate the tips to the Special Olympics. ``We had a pretty good idea that this is what we'd do with the money,'' Wayes said. ``It's not much, but the kids were great. I wanted to volunteer with the Special Olympics 20 years ago and know I finally got the chance.'' Amy Raisin Darvish, (661) 257-5254 amy.raisin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Yolanda Fraga accepts the gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize for the women's 1,500-meter run at Hart High during Special Olympics Spirit Games. (2) Others watch as a competitor rolls a boccie ball at Newhall Park during the Special Olympics Spirit Games on Saturday. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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