THE GAMES by Michael deLisle THE GAMES Back in 1996 when our friend Todd Willliams ran in the Atlanta Olympic Games, I chose not to battle the crowds and expensive ticket prices. Instead I watched Todd compete from the comfort of my air conditioned home. When fellow KTC Board Member Tony Cosey ran in the Sydney games, it was a bit easier to avoid the huge costs to travel to Australia. So at this point it seemed unlikely I'd ever view the Games up close and personal. Until yesterday. I was late for the Opening Ceremonies, and had to force my utterly uncooperative knee to run over half a mile at top speed to catch the beginning of the procession. Somehow I made it just in time. The athletes paraded slowly around the track, striding proudly behind the colorful banners of their hometowns. Coaches and athletes alike were dressed in team regalia, and, although many were first time Olympians, they all marched confidently. They knew they belonged. The pageantry continued under deep blue skies. The National Anthem rang loud through the air and all who heard it stood at attention. Then the moment all waited for was finally at hand, as the Olympic Torch burst into flame. From the flaming cauldron a smaller torch was lit, and the first athlete began the circular tour of the stadium. A quarter of the way around, the torch was handed to another runner, at the halfway point, still another. The final hundred meters was covered not by a runner, but by a walker, and the flame returned to its point of origin to thunderous applause. The Games of the 2005 Knoxville Special Olympics were underway! The schedule had my son Jesse competing in the very first event, so we all hurried to the staging area and got ready. There were to be multiple heats, much like our own KTC Youth Athletics track Meets, and we had several heats in front of ours, so we had a bit of time to prepare. Jesse had no case of nerves as his dad might have. Instead, he warmed up with a series of 25-50 meter surges along the curve at the far end of the track. Joyfully sprinting away from me and looking back at me to see if I was coming, he punctuated his running with his famous mile-wide smile. Remember, I have not been running due to this decrepit right knee, so prudence would have dictated that I spectate only. But I've never been accused of being prudent or wise, so I took off after Jesse and managed to stay with him, much to his delight. Then came the big moment as his heat was called to the starting line. His mom and I repeated the starter's instruction. I then jogged to the finish line and stood behind the timer in Jesse's lane waving my hands. He waved back happily, and over the din of the crowd I could hear him yell "Hi!" The race started and Jesse erupted into motion along with the other three kids. From the start it was apparent one boy, a tall lanky kid from Glenwood, was the class of the field, as he sped away with long impressive strides to win easily. The battle was for second place. A little kid about Jesse's size was digging as hard as he could, face strained from the effort. A bigger kid, rather plump, was working even harder to run the fifty meters. And there was Jesse, running neck and neck with the other two boys, grinning ear to ear, Asics shoes chugging along rapidfire, having a blast running as fast as he could with the cheers of the crowd ringing in his ears. I screamed "C'mon, Jess, you can do it! Go, Jesse, go!" And go he did. Until about forty meters, when he simply stopped. He looked around, then back at his mom at the starting line, and turned around and ran, just as fast, back toward the start. Then a volunteer came onto the track and, taking Jesse's hand, turned him back around and guided him, still running, to the finish line. Because of his hesitation and turnaround, more eyes were on him as he finished than had followed the others, and the cheers were deafening. And when he ascended the medal stand to accept his beautiful gold medal (all medals were exactly alike), he beamed, raised his hands to the heavens and cheered at the top of his lungs. My heart about burst at that moment. Tears filled my eyes and I nearly choked on a lump the size of a melon in my throat. There was my boy, about whom a highly trained radiologist had once said, "He'll be a veg," standing on the medal stand after running the first race of his life. Later that day, he uncorked a long straight throw with a softball to win another medal. He's a winner. They all were winners this day. Never was the old saying more true about everyone being winners, some just finishing sooner than others, than it was on this day. To see the paradoxical celebration filled me with emotion time and again. There have been moments when I've wondered about the stroke of fortune that befell Jesse. The capriciousness of that fate puzzles me, as it must cause wonder and consternation for all parents of special needs kids. At times I've felt like Jesse's brain injury was the cruellest of fates, yet at times I realize that without it, I'd probably never have realized the true depths of the wellspring of human love I've been lucky enough to tap into. To see that field on that day, filled with kids and parents, some so much more profoundly affected than my son, gave me pause. I silently uttered a prayer of thanks for the gift of my special boy, and another prayer of supplication that both his mother and I are able to carry on, each in our own way, doing what we think is best for our son. So far, so good. JESSE Jesse's favorite book is Steam, Steel and Stars by O. Winston Link. It's a book from the 1950s about steam engines and the last of the railways using them. His favorite place to run is the Third Creek Greenway in Knoxville because it runs along between a creek and a railroad. He got to be a good runner because his mom and dad were good runners and both still love to run with him. His favorite healthy snack is dad's homemade bread with peanut butter and jelly. Favorite healthy lunch, (behind the aforementioned PBJ) would be any number of items rolled up in a whole wheat flour tortilla, i.e., sliced turkey or chicken, or, of course, the old standby, PB&J! His favorite running shirt is his Knoxville Track Club T-shirt. His favorite cross training activity is swimming. He's a little waterbug and can swim nearly an hour non-stop! SPECIAL OLYMPICS A somewhat smaller cousin to its famed counterpart, this tradition of honoring athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities has gone on since 1968, providing them a chance to compete on the grand stage. I was honored to be present at the 2005 Knoxville Special Olympics, held on May 3 at Karns High School. Hundreds of kids from all over the area were on hand to test themselves in events ranging from the 25 meter assisted walk, through many and varied running, wheelchair and field events. ABOUT MICHAEL DELISLE Ran XC in High School, then no running til age 40. Began running and racing. Set PR's all within first four years, including 16:52 5K, 27:29 8K, 35:57 10K, 53:57 15K, all at age 43. Series of knee problems started a precipitous decline in racing times, but continued to run 30-40 miles per week, becoming avid trail running since 2000. Worked at running shop since 1995, involved on Board of Directors of Knoxville Track Club since 1991, editor of KTC magazine since 1992, webmaster since 1997. Will become KTC president in January 2006. More importantly, Jesse ran in his first race two weeks ago, running two miles of a 5K nonstop in 28:00, a PR! 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