Nebraska Special Olympics holds a special place in the life of one athlete – WOWT

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Special Olympics Nebraska held opening ceremonies at DJ Sokol Arena at Creighton University on Thursday.
The yearly event is about more than just sports.
This is the time of year 700 athletes look forward to most.
For more than a decade, Leslie Blank and Michael Graham have made the 5 hour trek from McCook to Omaha for the Nebraska Special Olympics.
The thing they look forward to most is the connection to the other athletes.
“See all the friends,” Michael said. “It’s just fun to come back to them all.”
It’s a shared sense of camaraderie.
“It’s nice to be able to be around people that have the same struggles that I do,” said David Harkey, an athlete ambassador and a longtime athlete himself. “You know, you could talk to them. And you can just, you can look at somebody and say, that’s a person.”
“We’re a statewide organization, so if you’re an athlete in Omaha, this may be the only time in the course of a year that you will see your friend from Scottsbluff or your friend from Kearney,“ said Carolyn Chamberlain, president of Special Olympics Nebraska. ”I love that there is that camaraderie where they so look forward to seeing each other.”
This year, something is missing for Leslie and Michael.
Coach Lynne Kinne is the reason Michael started Special Olympics.
This is the first year going to Omaha without her. She passed away suddenly in March.
“It’s a little rough, but we’ll get through it,” Michael said.
Leslie says Miss Kinne would’ve wanted them to push through. Leslie said Kinne believed in her athletes, and “I can’t” was never in her vocabulary.
“There’s no quitting,” Michael said. “Especially if I quit, she would not be happy.”
So even though things are a little different this year, that sense of excitement stays the same.
“Just, just having a good time. That’s all I want. Just having a good time and just being with my friends,” Michael said.
Over the next couple of days, athletes will stay in the dorms at Creighton before competing in four categories — volleyball, swimming, track and field and gymnastics.
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