by Katie J. Lee
Friday, Feb. 27 was a miserable day. Cloudy, windy, cold, a high of only 43 degrees.
Despite the inclement weather, The Bolles School hosted its first track meet of the season. I know this not because I have so little work to do that I gratuitously attend high school athletic events, but rather, my fiancee Dan Dearing is the head track coach there. So, being the dutiful fiancee, I’m becoming a regular in the stands at Skinner-Barco stadium (see I’m even learning the names of the buildings). So there I was, bundled up in the stands watching high school kids run in circles to start my weekend. As track meets go, this one was rather uneventful: the kids ran fine, the new coaches adjusted, Dan was pleased. I was just cold.
However, I must confess, my attendance had an ulterior motive: leverage to get Dan to go to a different track meet with me Saturday; one I had volunteered us for through the Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section.
In stark contrast to the frigid night spent at Bolles, Saturday was a beautiful day. The sky was blue again, the weather was pleasantly cool; spring was truly in the air, finally. This year, the Special Olympics track meet was hosted at Pine Castle.
The new track and hosting duties were a source of great pride to the school, which usually must borrow facilities like Bolles or Episcopal for its annual event. The hospitality of the organizers was immediately felt as they offered coffee, donuts and T-shirts to countless volunteers.
Upon noticing the Bolles Track & Field insignia on Dan’s jacket, a very excited woman promptly squirreled him away in the direction of the track. I found my way to the event managed by the Young Lawyers volunteers: the Softball Toss.
As a first-time Special Olympics volunteer, I’ll admit I didn’t know what to expect. But soon, master-delegator Kevin Cook had assigned me to be an escort for the kids. As an escort, my duties were fairly simple: I gathered the throwers in my heat, watched and encouraged them as they threw, and escorted each of the athletes to pick up his or her trophy or ribbon.
As a first-time volunteer, I was not prepared for how much work was required, or how rewarding each effort would be. In the first heat, I experienced the emotional rewards and challenges only the Special Olympics can provide. The winner of our first heat, Beth, was ecstatic. She jumped up and down with laughter, screaming with pride, “I won a trophy! I won a trophy!” She hugged me, grabbed my hand and pulled me to the winner’s table to collect her prize. But even at the Special Olympics, if someone comes in first, someone else has to come in last. Unfortunately, in the first heat it was Ann. When Ann heard me announce that she had placed behind all her competitors, she was terribly dejected, actually inconsolable. Even when Beth told her, “It’s OK, Ann. I love you. Please be happier,” she was still upset. The two women’s reactions were so very intense, yet so very opposite and each was looking to me to share in her emotion. At that moment, I had a true appreciation for the emotional investment made every day by the wonderful people at Pine Castle.
Over at the finish line on the track, I saw the Bolles track coach giving out pats on the backs and high fives. Only at this track meet, he wasn’t training tomorrow’s collegiate track and field stars, he was encouraging the happiest runners he had ever seen. With each race, the smiles were bigger, the strides faster, even the good-natured competition increased as the morning passed.
As the meet went on, we were privileged to help approximately 80 athletes in the Softball Toss. Most had reactions like Beth’s — sheer joy at winning, or just placing after they had tried their best. As the Softball Toss was winding down, Ray Driver gave me my last list of competitors. Because Ray had his own group in the first heat, he had not seen my first group. So he did not recognize Ann when she told him she wanted to sign up for the Softball Toss. Her name was not in that heat, but there was an open slot so Ray put her in the group. When I saw her there, beaming in her determination not to be last, I was both hesitant and proud of her. She had overcome her distress and was determined to try again.
Unfortunately for Ann, Paul was in her heat. A former competitor at the National Special Olympics, Paul easily threw the softball many feet beyond the throws of his competitors. As I called out the names, again Ann was at the end of the list. As we walked over to the ribbons table, Ann was again very upset, and I was frantically trying to find a way to reward her without depriving Paul of his much-deserved trophy.
Until, that is, the young girl volunteering at the ribbons table gave Ann a first-place ribbon — for trying again. Ann could not have been prouder. She skipped away wearing her first-place ribbon, telling people she got it for trying again. Ann’s joy at being rewarded for trying again reminded me that few of us always have the courage to overcome our obstacles and keep trying to get it right, whatever that turns out to be.
These moments are experienced by members of the Jacksonville Bar Young Lawyers Section every year. In addition to myself, this year’s volunteers included Patrick Coll (of the Bedell firm), Ray Driver (Driver & McAfee), and Kevin Cook (Bedell), who again did a wonderful job organizing the event.
We also extend our thanks to the many other volunteers who made the event a success, including Joni Boyd-Abner-Magnusen, Linsey and Michael Rowles, and Alex Benizzi. Each volunteer has his or her own story, their own Beths and Anns, their own gratifying moments. These were mine. I left the office Friday to go to a track meet. I came home Saturday from one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had. I encourage each of you to make some time to have your own experience.