In a gym filled with cheering spectators, 24 young athletes crawled, jumped and sprinted their way to the finish line. But in this competition, everyone won.
The Young Athletes Culminating Event, sponsored by Special Olympics Florida and Balance 180 Gymnastics, was held Sunday at St. Francis Catholic High School.
Among those supporting on the sidelines were Gainesville mayor Craig Lowe, Florida State Representative Keith Perry and UF first lady Chris Machen. UF Cheerleaders pumped the children on and encouraged them with shiny orange-and-blue pom-poms.
“Every child today deserves a chance to boost their self-esteem and intelligence development through sports,” Machen said.
UF student Jillian Roberts, who carried the Olympic torch in the 2012 London Olympics, led the kids and their counselors with her own personal torch from the ceremony. The athletes passed down the torch and began at different activity stations with hula hoops and plastic bars.
Sophia Lotz, 4, kicked balls around on the gym floor with other children. Lotz, who is diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome, began her sessions at Balance 180 in October.
Her mother, Gloria Lotz, hopes her daughter, who loves to tumble, will one day be a gymnast in the Special Olympics. She said the program has helped her daughter strengthen her muscles and improve her coordination.
“We’re doing all that we can to continue the program,” Lotz said.
UF health science senior Paige Avchen, 21, helped Sophia get around the gym floor. She’s been volunteering with Balance 180 since August.
“Everyone is so different, but they all just love to play,” said Avchen.
Balance 180 was founded in January, and the Young Athletes Program began in July, said Carsten Schmalfuss, the organization’s co-founder.
The first Olympic event, which was held in August, had 14 children and 40 volunteers. The event has since grown to 24 children and 70 volunteers.
“We think that Gainesville is a great place to do something like this, and they needed something like this,” Schmalfuss said. “This creates community and unity.”
