A little bit of rain couldn't dampen 7-year-old Josh Eason's excitement about competing in the 17th annual Special Olympics Thursday.

By 10:15 a.m., Josh had already won a first-place ribbon for throwing a tennis ball the farthest and was on his way to the 50-meter dash, something he looked forward to doing the most.

"I'm ready to do that," he said.

The games began at 9 a.m. with the band and chorus from Fike High School playing and singing as the athletes from each school paraded around the track. That was followed by Judith Urias, a middle-school student from the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf, lighting the Olympic flame.

Josh and approximately 200 other students participated in events like the 25-meter wheelchair race, the 50-, 100- and 200-meter dash races, the football target throw, softball throw, tennis ball throw, standing long jump, running long jump and the 400-meter and one-mile runs.

Special Olympics gives athletes ages 5 to 21, the opportunity to participate in athletic events they might not normally be able to participate in, said Jason Gunnin of the Wilson Recreation Department and one of the organizers of the event.

Tiffany Matthews, another organizer, believes sponsors and volunteers are an important ingredient to the success of the Special Olympics.

"Without the 300 or so volunteers from the community and the support of our corporate sponsors, none of this would be possible for the children," she said. "We thank each and every one of them."

"First and foremost, we (the police department) are thankful to have the opportunity to work with these children here today. We have about 20 officers who volunteered to come. We had more who wanted to come, but someone had to still take care of the streets."

Jennifer Clayton, a sophomore at Fike, said because of her experience at the event Thursday, she plans to volunteer each year.

"It is really great to be here with the children," she said. "All of the kids are so nice."

Doris Simmons, a teacher at Vinson-Bynum Elementary School, said she looks forward to the Olympics each year and watching the faces of her students light up.

"I don't know who has been more excited about this," she said. "The kids or us (teachers). There is one child who couldn't be with us today for medical reasons. We miss him and we are thinking about him."

gina@wilsontimes.com | 265-7821

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