WINDSOR, Conn. — Athletes of all abilities got to go for the gold this weekend during the 2023 Special Olympics Connecticut Winter Games.
“I love it. I love it,” said Mark Dunnells, an athlete from Cheshire who also celebrated his birthday Sunday surrounded by hundreds of friends and fellow athletes.
“They make me happy,” said Dunnells.
David Rodriguez with PrimeCare was at the games alongside Dunnells and knows very well that his friend is ready to compete.
“He wakes me up early in the morning, ‘Dave you ready to go,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, you’re killing me!’ But yeah, he loves it,” said Rodriguez.
The Winter Games presented by Eversource included events like cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, figure skating and speed skating and floor hockey.
“Special Olympics is about athletes shining, just being their best, getting opportunities to really show what they’re capable of doing,” said Debbie Horne, Director of Communications and Marketing for Special Olympics Connecticut.
The legacy of Special Olympics Connecticut extends far beyond the Winter Games.
“We provide sports and fitness opportunities year-round for individuals with intellectual disabilities and also unified partners, those without disabilities. We bring all those athletes together on the same team to train and compete,” said Horne.
Horne and her team go the distance year after year to build a community defined by friendship, joy and love.
“Be accepted, feel included and it gives them a chance to also gain confidence,” said Horne.
That takeaway is a reminder that there’s more to the games than just winning.
“Special Olympics oath is let me win, but if I cannot win let me be brave in the attempt, said athlete Matthew Glad.
Special Olympics is a global organization that serves athletes with intellectual disabilities working with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and coaches each year.
Since the establishment of Special Olympics in 1968, the number of people with and without intellectual disabilities who are involved with the organization has been growing.
You can learn more about supporting Special Olympics here.
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