Special Olympics hands out pre-COVID cancellation event trophies

While some annual Special Olympic competitive sports seasons have been canceled due to the COVID-19 emergency management precautions implemented to stem the tide of the Coronavirus pandemic, trophies, and souvenir T-shirts for a pre-March-shutdown hoops season were distributed in a drive-thru presentation Saturday, October 10th.

A safety-first, drive-through trophy presentation for Special Olympics early-year basketball season. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

The basketball season, along with bowling, was the only scheduled ones that beat the post-March run of cancellations in the Special Olympic cycle of eight-week competitive seasons.

The presentations were made at the Warren County Public Schools Special Services headquarters in the West 15th Street Health and Human Services complex in the old middle school building’s western section.

Public Schools Director of Special Services Michael Hirsch was present with Special Olympics partner Kiwanis’s Melanie Stull and Special Olympics representative Winnie Elinger to do the honors for some well-earned trophies and accompanying Warren County Special Olympic T-shirts.

Some fine-looking hardware and souvenir T-shirts

Those fine-looking shirts, coincidentally printed locally at Examiner parent company National Media Services, conveyed a message at the heart of Special Olympics competitions:

• Let me win
• But if I can’t win
• Let me be
• BRAVE
• In the attempt

Upcoming events

Getting back on track cautiously during a pandemic that has now taken over 210,000 American lives in under 10 months, with about 7.5 million American COVID-19 cases having been reported, Warren County Special Olympics has two upcoming events, both outdoors.

The first will be BINGO, held October 26 at the Park pavilion on the creek side of Bing Crosby Stadium; the second a “Turkey Trot” held on the old middle school football field track at the West 15th Street Health and Human Services complex.

Match those names to those trophies – they earned it