Texas youth host Special Olympics event for 11th year
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KATY, Texas — During the last 11 years, youth from the Katy Texas Stake have hosted a Special Olympics for the community.
Special Olympics provides special needs athletes the opportunity to triumph over their disabilities. And the event has also provided Latter-day Saint youth in and around Katy a unique opportunity for service.
The more than 150 youth took a major role in running the Olympics, according to Joe Ballew, Katy Texas Stake Young Men's president. They were responsible for registration, opening ceremonies, announcing the various events, organizing the participants at the starting line, timing the events, cheering for the athletes and feeding them lunch afterward.
The youth's favorite job was providing congratulatory hugs as participants finished their races.
More than 130 athletes participated in the event in seven teams. Volunteer coaches helped the athletes through track and field events.
As the youth volunteers made their way to Cinco Ranch High School in Katy at 6:15 a.m. the morning of the event, they feared the event would be rained out. Rain is a frequent concern at this event. Sometimes it rains the night before. Sometimes it threatens all morning. But rain always holds off until the event is over. Saturday, March 13, was no different.
"It didn't look good," said Brother Ballew. "It was raining pretty hard at that hour. And it was cold and windy."
But although skies looked threatening all morning, it wasn't until the event was over and volunteers were passing out the donated Kentucky Fried chicken to the athletes that rain began to fall.
