Mercer County hosted the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games June 14-21, a weeklong schedule of events that featured nearly 3,500 athletes, 10,000 volunteers and an estimated 70,000 spectators. Team New Jersey alone had 270 members who competed, including five athletes and one unified partner from Lawrence.
The games were an opportunity for athletes to test their skills, for coaches and parents to watch the athletes grow, and for volunteers and spectators to witness the importance and excitement of the games.
What follows are some of the experiences of those athletes and volunteers, written in their own words:
Nicole Lusardi, athlete
I can’t believe I made it this far!!!!!!
Being a part of cycling Team NJ has been AMAZING. This past week has been exciting and truly unforgettable.
It started at Rutgers Stadium on June 14. For the send-off of Team NJ, we all wore Eric LeGrand’s #52 on our shirts. Eric was a star football player at Rutgers who got hurt during a game and became paralyzed. Eric graduated this year and he is an inspiration for us all.
The opening ceremonies were at the Prudential Center in Newark. It’s hard to describe, but the energy of 28,000 people cheering was truly exhilarating. I was with my teammates from Team NJ, welcoming 3,500 athletes from all 50 states. I was truly excited, for among them were my parents, my grandmother Valentina who came all the way from Italy and my sister who came from Spain with her boyfriend Hector. One of the highlights for me was when Glee actress Jane Lynch came onstage and spoke to us. (Glee is one of my favorite shows, and I am kind of obsessed with it!)
All this excitement, and we had not even started racing yet! I spent the next four days at beautiful Skillman Park in Montgomery where the actual competition took place. It was fun racing and competing with athletes from other states. That’s where the training and the wonderful coaching paid off. I won USA Gold medals in the 500m and the 1km races, and a bronze medal in the 2 km race competition. Not bad for a rookie, right?
One of my favorite activities was the dinner cruise on the Hudson River where we had dinner with the coaches and athletes. We saw the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building lit up in red, white and blue to commemorate the Special Olympics 2014 USA games. WOW!
Olympic Town at TCNJ was also a lot of fun. There were rides, games, music, food and it reminded of being at the beach. My favorite moment was when I was on the big swings, and I saw fireworks. I felt happy.
Overall it was an incredible learning experience of when you put your mind to it, you really can do amazing things. I am extremely grateful for my coaches, teammates and Special Olympics to have had the opportunity to experience all of this.
I forgot to mention that the uniforms were really stylish and the best of all, we really looked sharp.
Jamiyl Mosley, volunteer
Two years of preparation led up to one magical week at Mercer County Park with the competitors involved in the softball tournament.
On the first day, we had an abbreviated schedule because the athletes were set to do a dinner cruise around Manhattan. Our morning began at 6:30 a.m. when the committee gathered to begin setting up for competition. This day was used for divisioning (a process by which teams are matched according to their level of play and competitiveness). Although these games did not ultimately “count,” the teams all brought their A games to the field. At the conclusion of day one, teams were one step closer to gold, silver and bronze.
The second day of competition was the longest. Games went from about 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. It was also our showcase night. We had a couple of featured games that were played under the lights. We had special guests who were former professional baseball and softball players throw out the first pitch and sign autographs. This day was the transition from divisioning to pool play. Pool play is a round robin format that allowed each team to play the others in their division. The results of these games led to the medal round match ups.
Day 3 was another day of pool play. The athletes kept giving all they had, and some of them were starting to show signs of wear and tear on their bodies. But neither injuries nor intense heat could remove the smiles from their faces. They were at the Olympics and they were going to enjoy every moment.
Thursday was the fourth and final day of competition, or so we thought. The skies were threatening all day as medal round play commenced. As each division concluded, they moved directly into their medal ceremonies. I had the privilege of working this portion of the event. So I helped escort the teams to the podium to receive their medals. We were joined by special guests including local law enforcement and WWE superstar Titus O’Neil. But the true special guests were all the athletes. It was such an amazing experience to share those moments with them. To see the pride on their faces for the accomplishment was special indeed. Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not wish to cooperate fully, as it began to rain during the ceremonies. Several of the games needed to be postponed until Friday, so our tournament was extended into overtime.
Friday was the end of the road. It was hard to believe that two years of work had all come to a close. After a few more medal ceremonies, it was time to pack up and wish the athletes and coaches safe travels. It was a pleasure to be a part of such an amazing event. I feel very fortunate to have been involved. And in the end, I definitely got more than I gave.
John Harmon, unified partner
I was honored to participate in the Special Olympics 2014 USA Games with my granddaughter, Laura Gironda of Freehold. Laura is a senior at Colts Neck High School.
Laura and I participated in Level II golf at Mercer Oaks East. This was a 9-hole alternate shot format, where we took turns hitting shots. We played on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
At 77, I was the oldest active participant from New Jersey, while Laura, 18, was one of the youngest.
Laura’s game had improved considerably since she qualified for the Games in October 2012. All players were required to walk unless they had a medical waiver, and PGA Rules were in effect.
We played a reasonable game on Monday, highlighted by a “tape-measure” drive by Laura on the first hole, which measured 225 yards right down the middle. That led to a par. We played again on Tuesday, and carded one of Laura’s lowest-ever scores.
After the Tuesday competition, the two scores were added together and the golf committee created divisions based on skill level. Laura’s score was significantly lower than any of the other female competitors, and she was assigned to the first male division, where she had the third lowest score, along with two other teams.
On Thursday evening, we took the New York Harbor cruise.
After a rainy afternoon, the buses departed for Liberty State Park. About halfway up the Turnpike, the skies cleared and the sun came out. We boarded the Majestic, which holds about 1,200 passengers, and were immediately seated on one of three decks for a buffet dinner, which turned out to be quite good.
After we reached the center of the river, we were permitted to go up to the top deck and view the sights. The boat headed down river toward the Statue of Liberty, where we dropped anchor for about an hour, while the sun set behind this American icon. After sunset, we slowly headed north and enjoyed the spectacular sights of the lights of lower Manhattan.
Thousands of photos (many of them selfies) were taken, and everyone agreed that this has been a magnificent experience.
On the final day of competition, we were paired with a team from Texas. Laura was at the top of her game, and started off with a tee shot to the green and a par on the par 3 fifth hole. We struggled on #6, but I chipped in for a birdie on #7 to get us back in the game.
After that we played steady golf for several holes, with Laura getting accolades from the spectators for her tee shots.
Disaster strikes on the final hole. We hit a good drive to the fairway, but our second shot sliced right into the deep weeds. We were able to find the ball, but it was unplayable, so we had to take a drop, incurring a penalty stroke. Two additional penalty strokes later, we ended up with a 10 on the hole.
We ended up in fifth place in our division, which was good enough for a ribbon and a place on the winner’s stand at the Awards Ceremony, but not what we had hoped for.
Our two golf coaches, Ray Harold and Audrey Wrobel, were in charge of our group all week, and did and excellent job of keeping us informed and together.
Laura and most of the other athletes said the week was a good experience. They made lots of new friends and enjoyed “hanging out” with them. Laura came out of the competition with a resolve to continue improving her game. I think experiencing the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat within a few hours was a valuable experience for her.
She will be defending her New Jersey Special Olympics championship in October, and has been invited to try out for her high school team next season.
Kristen Kolombatovich, volunteer
I leaned my head around from behind the crowd trying to catch a glimpse of the first athletes coming out of the lake. The crowd was cheering on the champions as they emerged from the water and headed towards their bikes. The atmosphere was exciting and in that moment it did not matter what state you were from, the fans were rooting for everyone. History was about to be made—this was the first Triathlon competition to be held in Special Olympics.
For the next few minutes we watched the athletes disappear on their bikes down the main road at Mercer County Park and then sprint off down the path. Fans cheered them on and families ran alongside, telling their children “keep going, you got this!”
The crowd started to get louder as the first triathlete and also a Team New Jersey athlete rounded the corner to the finish line. Coaches cheered and parents rushed out to meet their athlete at the finish line. Everyone watching knew how important this moment was.
As one of the competitors crossed the finish line, she was greeted by her sister and mother, who then wrapped their arms around each other sharing the moment. The mother held her daughter’s face, looked into her eyes and began to cry. It was a feeling of pride that was felt throughout the crowd. I started to cry as well and looked around and noticed there wasn’t a dry eye at the finish line.
The competition was not only fierce, but it was powerful, and with Team New Jersey taking home the gold medal, I was never more proud to be from the home state and a part of the Special Olympics community.
Elizabeth Chace Donahue, parent of athlete
It was a most wonderful experience and Willy soaked in every moment. He cheered on his teammates in every event and bonded with his teammates and coaches.
Team NJ track/athletics was like a large family by the end of the week. The seven coaches (all volunteers, worked for nine months with our athletes and lived with them all week at TCNJ) did a superb job of managing all 22 athletes in so many ways—logistics, personal care, meals, and of course at the track—making sure they were where they needed to be at the appropriate times, were hydrated and properly dressed, as well as devoting time and energy to coaching each athlete just before each event.
It was wonderful meeting so many athletes and families from all over the U.S. They all enjoyed a dinner cruise around Manhattan and a night at the Trenton Thunder.
The theme of the 2014 games was “Play Unified, Live Unified.” Spread the word!
Will Donahue (right), pictured with his mother Elizabeth, won the silver medal in the javelin, and his relay team won the gold in the 4×400. He also won the silver in his division in the 1,500-meter race in a field of nine.,
