The Council of State Executive Directors met this week in Park City, Utah. The annual gathering focuses on trends and best practices of association management, and mutual issues in the recreation and park profession.
But we are more than just colleagues. We are a gregarious, fun, engaging (and exhausting!) bunch who continually and passionately invests in each other. This is my greatest gang of professional associates and personal friends – my collective, got-your-back brain trust. I appreciate and love them all.
The Special Olympics PA provides year-round sports training and competition in Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community. It’s one they look forward to all year.
And on Friday, thousands of athletes, coaches, families, and friends met at Penn State University for their annual Summer Games. It is the largest statewide competition, attracting more than 2000 athletes and 750 coaches.
It was a real joy to volunteer at the Games, along with several of my co-workers. We were assigned to the Track staging area, helping the athletes get checked in and lined up for their races: 100 meter walk, 200 meter run, 800 meter run and walk, 5000 meter run, and the pentathlon 400 meter dash.
If you’ve never interacted with such pure-hearted people as those who compete in the Special Olympics, seek it out: you’ll be enriched from the experience!
