AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)
Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at the age of 3, JW was timid. Timmons said she had to help him on the playground, as he was apprehensive about climbing too high and feared getting hurt.
As he got older, he kept to himself and often spent hours in his room.
Three years ago, he discovered sports and everything changed.
JW has participated in Special Olympics events, competing in both basketball and track and field. He recently won the pentathlon at the Special Olympics State Summer Games, held in late May at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista.
"He used to be a quiet kid and would be really cranky at times," Timmons said. "But competing in the Special Olympics has really brought him out of his shell. I'd label him a very happy kid now. He's got a self-confidence that wasn't there before, the way he carries himself, the way he interacts with other people. Before this, he really didn't have any buddies. Now he's got a ton of buddies. He really enjoys that camaraderie with the other athletes."
JW, 16, says he loves learning new tasks. He had never competed in the pentathlon before this year. In fact, three of the five events featured in the pentathlon — 400-meter run, high jump and shot put — were foreign to him. He only had experience in the 100-meter dash and the long jump.
"I like learning a new task, just to see what I can do, what events I can do," JW said. "It's more like entertainment, it's not life and death out there. I love competing, nothing more."
Tim Rose is the head coach of the track and field program for Special Olympics of Collier County, where he has worked closely with JW the last three years. He says JW's laser-sharp focus and tireless work ethic have made him a formidable force on the track.
"He's got that unique ability to observe and focus in on a task and then duplicate it," Rose said. "He's a very hard worker. We threw out the challenge for him to be our first pentathlete, and he hadn't even done three of the five events before January."
Rose said JW's work in the high jump exceeded the coach's expectations.
"That's probably the most technically difficult to learn," he said. "It can really be scary trying to jump over that bar, especially when you haven't done it before. But he took minimal direction and started figuring it out. We worked with him each week, and he kept getting better and better."
JW showed off what he had learned with a clutch performance at the Summer Games. He started out in a field of nine competitors in the high jump, hitting every one of his jumps early on without a miss. After each round, the bar is raised, and the athletes get three attempts to clear the bar. JW didn't miss until it was down to him and another opponent. His opponent cleared the bar on the first attempt, while JW missed two attempts. Down to his final chance, he dug deep.
"I kind of felt the pressure, but I just tried to go with the flow and I pushed myself," he said. "The guy was jumping really high, and I hadn't jumped that high in awhile. I just tried my best."
JW cleared the bar, and then didn't miss again. His opponent was eliminated shortly thereafter, but JW kept going, clearing three more distances and finishing at a personal-best 1.48 meters to rack up additional pentathlon points. Those extra points provided him the cushion he needed to win the event. Normally calm and reserved, JW couldn't contain his excitement.
"I never felt that excited in my life," he said. "In past competitions, I never felt that excited. It was such a great feeling to win."
Rose said he's seen JW's personality blossom in the three years he's worked with him. That was clearly evident at the Games, where Rose shared a hotel room with his protégé.
"He's really loosening up and that's great to see," Rose said. "I was surprised, he never stopped laughing and was having a great time. They had a dance after the competition and he danced all night. He's very mature and very serious about getting better as an athlete. You present him with a challenge and he attacks it with everything he has, and that bodes well for his future. I believe he can do anything he sets his mind to."
It's nothing new for Rose, who has seen the Special Olympics work its magic for eight years. He shared a story of an out-of-state couple who brought their 18-year-old daughter to the Special Olympics for several weeks this spring. Rose said the girl had more challenges than many of his athletes, but he and his staff welcomed her with open arms and worked diligently with her for the six to eight weeks she was there.
"When the family was leaving to go back up north, the mom came to me in tears," Rose said. "She had never realized that her daughter could run. Everybody takes that for granted, but she had never run before, and here she was competing in track meets with all the other athletes. I'd tell anyone who has a special-needs child, even those who might have more challenges than other kids, to not underestimate them and give them a shot. You'll find if you raise the bar for some of these kids, they'll rise to whatever height you set that bar to."
Timmons said she's encourage any parent with a special-needs child to give the Special Olympics a chance.
"It's a very positive experience, not only for the kids, but the parents and the coaches as well," she said. "Sometimes kids are afraid to participate, fearing other kids will make fun of them or they won't measure up. Even though it's competitive, the athletes are so supportive of one another. If someone falls, there's always somebody there to pick them up.
"And it's wonderful for parents, because everyone becomes a big family. Sometimes as a parent with a special-needs child, you feel isolated. Here, you don't have to talk about it, there's that understanding that everyone has. Everyone knows what you're going through, the limitations, the food problems, the medicine problems. There's a lot of social stuff that comes with having a special-needs child. People sometimes don't know how to interact with you. It's so nice to be in a group of people that understands what you're going through."
Timmons says there's nothing better than seeing the athletes succeed.
"It really is amazing to see what these kids can do," she said. "When they learn a new skill, run faster, jump farther, it's wonderful. They often don't believe they can do it, but it brings them so much joy and self-esteem when they do something they haven't done before. It's really special to watch."
SOURCE: http://www.naplesnews.com/community...pentathlon-at-special-oly-34b7-383277041.html
Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at the age of 3, JW was timid. Timmons said she had to help him on the playground, as he was apprehensive about climbing too high and feared getting hurt.
As he got older, he kept to himself and often spent hours in his room.
Three years ago, he discovered sports and everything changed.
JW has participated in Special Olympics events, competing in both basketball and track and field. He recently won the pentathlon at the Special Olympics State Summer Games, held in late May at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista.
"He used to be a quiet kid and would be really cranky at times," Timmons said. "But competing in the Special Olympics has really brought him out of his shell. I'd label him a very happy kid now. He's got a self-confidence that wasn't there before, the way he carries himself, the way he interacts with other people. Before this, he really didn't have any buddies. Now he's got a ton of buddies. He really enjoys that camaraderie with the other athletes."
JW, 16, says he loves learning new tasks. He had never competed in the pentathlon before this year. In fact, three of the five events featured in the pentathlon — 400-meter run, high jump and shot put — were foreign to him. He only had experience in the 100-meter dash and the long jump.
"I like learning a new task, just to see what I can do, what events I can do," JW said. "It's more like entertainment, it's not life and death out there. I love competing, nothing more."
Tim Rose is the head coach of the track and field program for Special Olympics of Collier County, where he has worked closely with JW the last three years. He says JW's laser-sharp focus and tireless work ethic have made him a formidable force on the track.
"He's got that unique ability to observe and focus in on a task and then duplicate it," Rose said. "He's a very hard worker. We threw out the challenge for him to be our first pentathlete, and he hadn't even done three of the five events before January."
Rose said JW's work in the high jump exceeded the coach's expectations.
"That's probably the most technically difficult to learn," he said. "It can really be scary trying to jump over that bar, especially when you haven't done it before. But he took minimal direction and started figuring it out. We worked with him each week, and he kept getting better and better."
JW showed off what he had learned with a clutch performance at the Summer Games. He started out in a field of nine competitors in the high jump, hitting every one of his jumps early on without a miss. After each round, the bar is raised, and the athletes get three attempts to clear the bar. JW didn't miss until it was down to him and another opponent. His opponent cleared the bar on the first attempt, while JW missed two attempts. Down to his final chance, he dug deep.
"I kind of felt the pressure, but I just tried to go with the flow and I pushed myself," he said. "The guy was jumping really high, and I hadn't jumped that high in awhile. I just tried my best."
JW cleared the bar, and then didn't miss again. His opponent was eliminated shortly thereafter, but JW kept going, clearing three more distances and finishing at a personal-best 1.48 meters to rack up additional pentathlon points. Those extra points provided him the cushion he needed to win the event. Normally calm and reserved, JW couldn't contain his excitement.
"I never felt that excited in my life," he said. "In past competitions, I never felt that excited. It was such a great feeling to win."
Rose said he's seen JW's personality blossom in the three years he's worked with him. That was clearly evident at the Games, where Rose shared a hotel room with his protégé.
"He's really loosening up and that's great to see," Rose said. "I was surprised, he never stopped laughing and was having a great time. They had a dance after the competition and he danced all night. He's very mature and very serious about getting better as an athlete. You present him with a challenge and he attacks it with everything he has, and that bodes well for his future. I believe he can do anything he sets his mind to."
It's nothing new for Rose, who has seen the Special Olympics work its magic for eight years. He shared a story of an out-of-state couple who brought their 18-year-old daughter to the Special Olympics for several weeks this spring. Rose said the girl had more challenges than many of his athletes, but he and his staff welcomed her with open arms and worked diligently with her for the six to eight weeks she was there.
"When the family was leaving to go back up north, the mom came to me in tears," Rose said. "She had never realized that her daughter could run. Everybody takes that for granted, but she had never run before, and here she was competing in track meets with all the other athletes. I'd tell anyone who has a special-needs child, even those who might have more challenges than other kids, to not underestimate them and give them a shot. You'll find if you raise the bar for some of these kids, they'll rise to whatever height you set that bar to."
Timmons said she's encourage any parent with a special-needs child to give the Special Olympics a chance.
"It's a very positive experience, not only for the kids, but the parents and the coaches as well," she said. "Sometimes kids are afraid to participate, fearing other kids will make fun of them or they won't measure up. Even though it's competitive, the athletes are so supportive of one another. If someone falls, there's always somebody there to pick them up.
"And it's wonderful for parents, because everyone becomes a big family. Sometimes as a parent with a special-needs child, you feel isolated. Here, you don't have to talk about it, there's that understanding that everyone has. Everyone knows what you're going through, the limitations, the food problems, the medicine problems. There's a lot of social stuff that comes with having a special-needs child. People sometimes don't know how to interact with you. It's so nice to be in a group of people that understands what you're going through."
Timmons says there's nothing better than seeing the athletes succeed.
"It really is amazing to see what these kids can do," she said. "When they learn a new skill, run faster, jump farther, it's wonderful. They often don't believe they can do it, but it brings them so much joy and self-esteem when they do something they haven't done before. It's really special to watch."
SOURCE: http://www.naplesnews.com/community...pentathlon-at-special-oly-34b7-383277041.html
