This morning was one of the best Saturday mornings I have had as Miss Montana! I was invited to attend a basketball workshop for the Special Olympics and was able to meet many of the special olympics athletes from the Bozeman area as well as some of the MSU Bobcats basketball players, and catch up with some of the athletes that I have known from other activities. It was so wonderful to reconnect with special olympics athletes Truman and Coral, who I cross-country skied and snowshoed with this past Winter through the Eagle Mount Program. It was also great to see my good friend and special olympics athlete, Rose, who performed in a summer camp musical production of “Grease” with me during high school.
It was also wonderful to meet a whole roomful of new friends who I am so excited to support throughout the year! The athletes are simply amazing! I met two homecoming kings, the speaker for the closing ceremonies of last year’s state games, and a young lady who just got an A+ in English! These athletes are well-rounded, accomplished, and quite frankly, superstars!!!
Like with most volunteer opportunities in life, I really feel that I gain just as much, if not more, from the experience than the people I am helping. Today I was so excited to see how all of the athletes really support each other no matter what–whether their teammate made the basket or not–the entire team was there to cheer each other on. This atmosphere of unconditional love and support was truly inspirational for me and is something that I hope I can incorporate into my interactions with others.
Thank you again to the Special Olympics for including me today, it is an experience that I truly will never forget. Thank you, too, for inviting me to attend the Winter Games and the State Games this Spring as well as other Special Olympic events. I am more than happy to do anything I can to support this extraordinary program!
Miss Montana 2009 