Something Chilly for These Hot Summer Days!! Winter Special Olympics at Powder Ridge

In the heart of Winter, when the temperatures were much colder,  the Give Back Girls were immersed in the joy of volunteering at the Special Olympics Winter Games. Remembering how we wrangled with huge rolls of orange fencing last year, we pulled into the parking lot ready to receive our assignment at Powder Ridge this past March. We were pleasantly surprised to find that our assignment this year was to assist at the awards ceremony. Why were we so pleased with this assignment? Well, watching the athletes receive their awards and medals after their incredible efforts was. without a doubt, the pinnacle of the event. An additional benefit...the ceremony was inside the pavilion, out of the cold!! A nice change from last year for sure.

The first order of business was to find our home base for the day. We needed a place to drop our bags and put our coffee cups. There were large plastic tubes on either side of the pavilion, funneling heat to the "building". You should have seen Angie running for an open table! It was like a game of musical chairs when the music stopped!!! Thank you Angie! This was the perfect spot.

During the opening ceremony we spotted a couple of guys up on the mountain wrestling with that orange fence! Oh, the memories! We were so surprised that they were just starting to set up the finish line. By that time last year, Michelle and I had moved and placed that fence three times!! This year, it was a once and done; the Finish line ready for the race.

As soon as the opening ceremony was done, it was time to set up the awards table. There were ribbons including participant ribbons and medals, bronze, silver and Gold!

The tasks to be done were as follows: someone had to receive the scores from each "heat"of the race, and determine what medals and ribbons were needed to present. Then as this information is relayed, other volunteers would gather the awards and one would carefully arrange them on a pillow. We needed someone to carry the pillow behind the presenters. There was a young man, perfect for the job ready and willing. The presenters were actually two members of the US military who had the honor of putting the medals around the athletes’ necks. Such a proud moment for the athletes as well as their families.

While the Olympic fanfare music played in the background, someone had to announce the race and the athletes. This is where the task assigning became interesting. The staff member discussed the process with Arlene, who was more than willing to grab the mike! She has a showmanship tendency we have discovered! What Arlene noticed, was that there was another volunteer that appeared disappointed she was not doing this task. Volunteerism is a team effort in every way. No one can do everything and there is no "right" way for any task as long as it is done. It is quite humbling. So in the spirit of volunteerism, Arlene approached this new friend and asked her if she would like the microphone.

All this work and excitement made us hungry! We headed over to the other side of the pavilion to where other volunteers were hosting the lunch. We started with delicious warm soup and then had the choice of hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken. Of course there was lots of hot chocolate, too! It was fun to relax and talk with the new friends we had met.

Our most rewarding part of volunteering for this event was interacting with the athletes. We congratulated and high-fived many, but also helped where we could when there were tears.  It was our honor to make sure that all the athletes were celebrated. The Special Olympics Winter Games was a celebration of diversity and inclusion. Special Olympics, CT has year-round sports training and competitions. The athletes work hard all year and look forward to these events. If interested, there will be volunteer opportunities for the Special Olympics in August and September. Some of the events include a softball tournament, croquet invitational, golf tournament and a bocce tournament. Check out our website for more information under "volunteer opportunities".