Not only are Dartmouth students volunteering at the games, but they are also organizing them. The Summer Games Management Team, comprised of 15 Dartmouth students, began planning this winter for the event, which will host 60 to 75 athletes and over 100 student volunteers.
"From registration, to the venues, to the actual competition, to the awards, running and organizing is done by students," games director Emily Luscz '08 said.
The idea for the games arose two years ago when the Dartmouth alumni body responsible for the Upper Valley Winter Special Olympics decided to pursue a summer equivalent. It appointed Natalie Babij '05 to become the first organizer for the event.
Members of the Management Team said that the games offer students a unique community service opportunity that can often be overlooked.
"At Dartmouth there is a lot of community service, a lot of it helping with lower-income things," said Monique Lemus '07 of the Game Management Team, "but we are not as aware of the handicapped."
One of the distinct aspects of the Special Olympics is that they stress participation as much or more than they stress winning. Upper Valley Special Olympics coordinator Pete Bleyler '61 noted that even those athletes who get disqualified during their races still get participation ribbons.
"Every athlete gets an award -- everyone gets to step up on the podium," Luscz said.
Bleyler added that he thought the games were a win-win situation for all involved, noting the "joy and enthusiasm" he has noticed both from the athletes and the volunteers.
"[Gamma Delta Chi fraternity] volunteered a lot of their boys for the swimming competition and seeing how much the volunteers actually got into the competition, we're making friends with the athletes ... you could tell that everyone was having a fun time doing it," Lemus said.
Lemus also noted that by the end of the competition some of the volunteers had truly become friendly with some of the more outgoing athletes. At last year's games, one of the athletes went out of his way to help her out, she said.
"I remember I apparently looked really stressed out at one point, and this one boy came up to me and started giving me a massage and he was like, 'You look stressed, I'm going to help you out,' and he was about to do his own race," she said.
The Special Olympics are specifically for athletes with mental disabilities, while the Paralympics cater to those with physical disabilities. Opening ceremonies for the games will take place at 10 a.m. on Memorial Field.
