Special Olympics – Much More Than Sports

Barbados Special Olympics athletes have a history of excellent performances in sports, but many people are not aware that their accomplishments extend well beyond the field of competition.  Each Saturday, athletes, who are 16 years and older, meet at St. Leonards School to take part in activities that increase their skills, raise their level of accomplishment and enhance their inclusion in the larger society. They gather to take part in the Special Olympics Outreach and Skills Training Programme and participate in training activities, which keep them involved in Special Olympics and the Barbados community by satisfying their holistic employment, social and cultural needs. 

Children and adults with intellectual challenges have a tremendous capacity to grow in areas once thought to only be the purview of those without disabilities. It has been the experience of Special Olympics that when these individuals are presented with the opportunity to expand their lives, they exhibit a high level of dedication, which results in tremendous achievement and self-confidence.

On September 29th,2013, after weeks of rehearsal, the Outreach and Skills Training athletes filled the auditorium of the Combermere School with the sweet sounds of music and enlivened the stage with the joy of dance in their annual concert “An Evening of Embracing Differences.”  Encouraged and instructed by music tutor Toni Stewart and dance tutor Josette Leacock, the athletes performed a lively medley of meringue and line dance, performed and sang Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” and closed the concert with their own rendition of Bob Marley’s “One Love”, which brought audience from their seats cheering.

The evening’s entertainment also included exciting performances, ranging from dance to song to drama, by a number of guest artistes. Sharing the stage with Special Olympics athletes were the Haynesville Youth Group, Janice Perryman, Jamie Depeiza, Davianne Philips, Andrew Dey, the Parkinson Memorial School Pop Band with Randy Eastmond, Wayne “Skillet Harewood, Margaret Trotman and Josette Leacock.

In addition to their training in the performing arts, the athletes, under the leadership and guidance of Outreach Chairperson/Director Elizabeth Bowen and Deputy Chairperson Colin Clarke, have also produced soft home furnishings and leather craft. Recently, in order to expand their cultural experiences, Outreach and Skills Training athletes embarked on a cruise, which took them to several Caribbean islands. Such activities, in addition to exposing individuals with intellectual challenges to new possibilities, help build a positive self-image and foster increased participation in the community and world around them.