Great Northern Special Olympics Spring Games come to Havre

Last year, because of the harsh, long winter, the Great Northern Area of the Montana Special Olympics had to cancel the Great Northern Spring Games, but this year the Special Olympics are back with approximately 60 athletes signed up to compete Wednesday.

"A lot of athletes in our area don't have the financial means or the ability or have someone that can take them to the state games in Great Falls," Special Olympics Local Program Coordinator Brandon Berreth said, "so what we are doing is we are basically hosting kind of a miniaturized version of the state games here in town for our local athletes who can't make it to state games."

Teams from Turner, Chinook, Big Sandy, Harlem as well as two groups from Havre are signed up to participate in the event, he said. The Special Olympics are open for all ages 8 and older.

Berreth added that this year a couple of athletes coming from Big Sandy who are in their early 70s are participating in the events.

The Great Northern Spring Games are free to attend, Berreth said.

Events will take place all day Wednesday with the opening ceremony taking place at 9 a.m. at the Havre Middle School track, he said. Track and field events will include a shot put competition, standing and running long jump competition, a soft ball throw competition and various lengths of runs, walks and wheelchair races.

One relay team coming from Chinook is a four-person unified partner relay team, Berreth said. A unified partner team is when a Special Olympics athlete will run part of the relay and a non-special-needs athlete will run the second part.

"I have never seen that before," he said, adding that he is interested in seeing the team participate.

Berreth said that the morning events will run until noon when a barbeque luncheon will be provided by Frontier Lawn and Landscaping Inc. and Gary & Leo's Fresh Foods. The luncheon will be followed by an award ceremony in the middle school auditorium.

In the afternoon, starting at 3:30 p.m., the bowling competition will start at Harvest Moon Lanes, he said. Events will include single competitions and team competitions.

At the end of the night, at 6:30 p.m., Berreth said, the Great Northern Area of the Montana Special Olympics will be hosting a dance at the bowling alley for the athletes.

"That's when you see the athletes get out and socialize and have a good time," he said, "just really cut loose and enjoy themselves, and I guess that is my favorite part, when you get to see them just being them and having fun."

The dance ends at 8:30 p.m., he added.

Berreth said that they started planning for the event in January with the athletes practicing for the past two months. Track practice was every Monday and bowling practice every Thursday.

He added that it is his first year as the local program coordinator with he and his wife, Stephanie, sharing the title.

He and his wife first got involved because she fell in love with working with special-needs students while working at the middle school and Highland Park Early Primary School, Berreth said. His wife's supervisor and area director for the event, Ann-Marie Carlson, then asked if they wanted to DJ for the dance for the past two years.

"Then we kind of fell in love with it and just got more involved," he said.

He said that in the previous years approximately 300 people attend the track meet and approximately 200 people for the bowling competition.

He said Special Olympics receives some donations from anonymous donors throughout the year and raises money through a raffle. The Special Olympics raffle is a statewide raffle which can be purchased from local athletes at Walmart and Gary & Leo's Fresh Foods in Havre. Tickets are $5, with 80 percent of the money going toward local teams. The winner of this year's raffle can win a new truck.

Berreth invited everyone to Wednesday's games

"Feel free to come out and support the athletes," Berreth said. "Cheer on the athletes during the event and get out and buy some raffle tickets."

People who want to help with Special Olympics or volunteer in the future can contact Berreth at 390-0394.