In what might be considered as Beaufort County’s very own version of the Jamaican bobsled team, eight local athletes will compete in skiing competitions.
The athletes will compete in next week’s Special Olympics North Carolina Winter Games at Appalachian Ski Mountain. The competition is for those who have been identified as having an intellectual disability such as Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, autism and Fragile X Syndrome. Our team is open to those who live in Beaufort or Hyde County. Beaufort County resident Sandra Buckman said members of this year’s team are all from Beaufort.
Athletes start participating in athletic programs as early as age 2 and can continue to compete as long as they want.  Beaufort County will be sending a 9-year-old to next week’s competition.
Our team is the only one in eastern North Carolina. While they may be in great condition, few have been able to practice. Some have never been on skis, others are expected to move on to regional competition, the Southeast Winter Games, in February. All deserve our support and admiration.
After opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics North Carolina Sunday, the Beaufort/Hyde team will hit the slopes for their first time.
An exceptional team of coaches will teach athletes the basics and determine in
which of three levels of competition the athletes will
compete.
We commend those who will compete and those who give of their time and energy to make this event happen. Most of us will not be there to cheer for our home team, but we can send them a few words of encouragement via social media.
Learn more about the Special Olympics North Carolina at www.specialolympicsnc.com. Leave a message for them on the Facebook page of the Washington Daily News or engage with them on http://twitter.com/sonc_beafan; http://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsNC and http://www.youtube.com/BeAFanSONC.