July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Community made victory special
Letters to the Editor
To the editor:
Team Indiana traveled to the East Coast on June 13 to take center stage in the world of sports, competing in Princeton, N.J., in the 2014 National Special Olympics games.
The team, comprised of athletes competing in 16 different sports and headlined by Jay County's own Panther basketball team took 36 gold medals, 15 silver and 16 bronze. The bright lights of the biggest stage in Special Olympics represented an opportunity that most athletes only dream of, and Jay County Special Olympics Basketball made the most of it.
Basketball teams representing 44 states competed at four separate venues across the Mercer County, N.J., area, and the Panthers brought home the bronze medal.
The week did not only include basketball. It revealed an intense sense of joy and camaraderie, as each and every person who attended could not help but cheer on more than 3,500 athletes from across the nation. It was a week unlike any other that touched the hearts of 70,000 fans, families and volunteers, but it would have never been possible without the cooperative spirit of this amazing community. Fourteen months of preparation and training molded our bodies and minds into our team, while 14 months of local generosity and kindness molded our community into our family.
Tears were brought to the eyes of our athletes and coaches on many separate occasions throughout the week at the national games, but our emotions were never as strongly felt as they were when we left our hometown to begin our journey, and when we returned home after our triumphs. Jay County made our athletes feel like celebrities. They made them feel just as special as they truly are, and it is impossible to describe just how much that means to us. You supported true champions in our community including Sam Glessner, Josh Griffin, Conner Hoyt, Mark Knipp, Kyle Scott, Ron Smith, Tyler Reck, Shelly Roser, Ethan Wendel and Ty Weesner.
They played their hearts out in order to earn the medal that they wear around their necks, but a piece of that sweet victory belongs to each person in this great county who supported these athletes and truly reached out and touched their lives.
Thank you,
Coaches Alex Dunn, Catherine Dunn and Chuck Wendel[[In-content Ad]]
Team Indiana traveled to the East Coast on June 13 to take center stage in the world of sports, competing in Princeton, N.J., in the 2014 National Special Olympics games.
The team, comprised of athletes competing in 16 different sports and headlined by Jay County's own Panther basketball team took 36 gold medals, 15 silver and 16 bronze. The bright lights of the biggest stage in Special Olympics represented an opportunity that most athletes only dream of, and Jay County Special Olympics Basketball made the most of it.
Basketball teams representing 44 states competed at four separate venues across the Mercer County, N.J., area, and the Panthers brought home the bronze medal.
The week did not only include basketball. It revealed an intense sense of joy and camaraderie, as each and every person who attended could not help but cheer on more than 3,500 athletes from across the nation. It was a week unlike any other that touched the hearts of 70,000 fans, families and volunteers, but it would have never been possible without the cooperative spirit of this amazing community. Fourteen months of preparation and training molded our bodies and minds into our team, while 14 months of local generosity and kindness molded our community into our family.
Tears were brought to the eyes of our athletes and coaches on many separate occasions throughout the week at the national games, but our emotions were never as strongly felt as they were when we left our hometown to begin our journey, and when we returned home after our triumphs. Jay County made our athletes feel like celebrities. They made them feel just as special as they truly are, and it is impossible to describe just how much that means to us. You supported true champions in our community including Sam Glessner, Josh Griffin, Conner Hoyt, Mark Knipp, Kyle Scott, Ron Smith, Tyler Reck, Shelly Roser, Ethan Wendel and Ty Weesner.
They played their hearts out in order to earn the medal that they wear around their necks, but a piece of that sweet victory belongs to each person in this great county who supported these athletes and truly reached out and touched their lives.
Thank you,
Coaches Alex Dunn, Catherine Dunn and Chuck Wendel[[In-content Ad]]
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