On Wednesday, March 8, Keller ISD is hosting the annual Chad Powell Memorial Special Olympics Track Meet at Fossil Ridge High School. The meet is open to students and adults across the KISD area to compete in. The Special Olympics athletes can compete in many events including, but are not limited to, relays, races, softball toss, javelin toss and long jump.
To prepare for the upcoming meet, the athletes have been practicing during the Partner P.E. period and after school on Tuesdays. Coach Tina DeMichele initially started the Partner P.E. class at Timber Creek in 2010 and has been coaching the class ever since. She is almost as excited for the meet as the students competing in it.
“[The kids] love competing and people cheering them on,” DeMichele mentioned.
The athletes get a buddy or partner on the day of the meet. The partner’s role is to escort their assigned athlete to their events and then take them to get their ribbons. Students volunteered to be buddies and had to attend a training.
“You have to get a recommendation from your teachers that can personally vouch for your character,” freshman and potential buddy, Allison Souimaniphanh commented, ‘There’s just a happiness the students give me that I didn’t realize they would. It’s a feeling much more than something superficial can give you.”