TORCH OPENS SPIRIT GAMES 750 ATHLETES GATHER ENJOY SPECIAL OLYMPICS DAY.Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer NEWHALL - Saturday dawned bright on the track at Hart High School Hart High School may refer to:
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. athletes marched onto the infield, bearing their team standards and broad smiles to open the 2005 Spirit Games. A sea of teal and black pompoms shimmered as each team was announced by emcee Mark Thompson This article is about the Director-General of the BBC. For other individuals with the same name, see Mark Thompson (disambiguation) Mark Thompson (born July 31 1957) is Director-General of the BBC, a post he has held since 2004, and a former chief executive of Channel 4. . Signs from every large community in 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, bobbed over more than 750 athletes, coaches and volunteers, some from as far away 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. , Riverside 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. . South Bay athletes Jennifer Bledistel and Maximo Equivel got caught up in the excitement, dancing joyfully as performers from Dance Studio 84 did the Twist. ``This is so much fun,'' Bledistel said. A basketball player for the Santa Clarita Sharks made it a point to high-five as many spectators as he could en route to the field. As the last athlete entered the infield, two F-18 jets flew side by side over the field, adding a deafening crescendo to the applause for the participants. The flame for the Olympic torch zoomed in overhead via a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. helicopter, landing behind the track to be picked up by a multiagency law enforcement team that escorted the flame to the waiting cauldron on the stage. FBI Special Agent Diane Gonzalez, who has volunteered with the Special Olympics for more than 10 years, carried the torch for the final leg and lit the flame that burned throughout the day. Gonzalez is emotional about her involvement, choking back tears when asked why she is involved with fundraisers and events such as the Spirit and Summer Games for the group. ``What happens is that in our line of work, so much is bad,'' explained her husband, John Riley. ``This is awe-inspiring.'' ``When I get my agents into the Summer Games,'' Gonzalez said, ``once they see these kids, then I know I have them hooked.'' ``The love that the athletes reflect, the hugs, it's just so rewarding,'' said Riley. ``They just embrace sportsmanship. We were at a Summer Games and one of the runners on the track fell down. All the other athletes stopped, helped him up, then started running again. It really gives you a warm feeling.'' Boccie boccie or bocci or bocce (from Italian bocce, “balls”) Game of Italian origin, similar to bowls. It is played on a long, narrow, packed-clay court enclosed with boarded ends and sides. player Cindy Unruh from the Desert Sidewinders For the 1990s rock band, see The Sidewinders. Sidewinders is a Barbershop quartet that won the 1964 SPEBSQSA international competition. Preceded by Town and Country Four SPEBSQSA International Quartet Champions II has been playing the lawn bowling game for about four years. Concentrating intently on a red paddle held up by a volunteer, she hefted the ball toward the paddle and watched as it rolled to the center of the court. ``I got second place in the games last week,'' she said. ``That was at Saddleback College,'' added her teammate, Theresa Gray. ``I got a second, too. ``Boccie is such a fun activity. It's fun going out and being with my friends and playing. And we're going to the state finals in San Diego.'' Throughout the day, athletes participated in basketball, tennis, swimming, and track and field events at Hart High, Placerita Junior High, Newhall Park, 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. Boys and Girls boys and girls mercurialisannua. Club and the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, all on Newhall Avenue. The golfing events were held at Vista Valencia Golf Course. Carol Rock, (661) 257-5252 carol.rock(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Santa Clarita athletes were among the more than 750 who participated in the opening ceremonies Saturday at Hart High School for the 2005 Spirit Games, an annual event for Special Olympics athletes. (2 -- color) Nine-year-old Kevin Ross of the Santa Clarita Valley team was the first athlete to run with the torch. Handing him the torch, which opened the Spirit Games, is California Highway Patrol Officer Doug Sweenney, left; at right is Kevin's father, Jeff. (3) Hundreds of coaches and family members cheered from the sidelines as the Special Olympics athletes marched into the stadium at Hart High for opening ceremonies of the 2005 Spirit Games. (4) Michael Jacobs of the Ventura County team looks back to see how close Jack Jacobson of the Riverside team is in the 1,500-meter run. Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News |
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