Families from across the territory gathered at Renaissance Park Saturday to cheer on the participants in this year’s Special Olympics. Athletes arrived from St. Thomas that morning to join their peers on St. Croix in a day that proved to be more about fun than competition.
The day began like any other Olympics with a parade of athletes around the track followed by a torch relay. Once the flame was lit, the games began. The faces of the athletes lit up as volunteers led them through games of basketball, tennis, soccer, kickball, bocce, long jump, and sprinting.
“It’s incredible how it helps their self-confidence,” said Janice Lee, the Chapter Director of the VI Special Olympics. “They get here and you can just see them perk up.”
The Special Olympians have competed in the territory since 1977, and Lee has participated in it since the beginning.
Saturday she had four generations of her family volunteering with the youngest, 5-year old, great granddaughter Jayla Brown, helping athletes with their nametags. Lee said she thought it was important for her to get used to being around people with special needs. 
“It’s a learning experience for all the volunteers, probably even for us more than for the athletes,” Lee said. “My son says that everyone with quote ‘normal’ children should come once and see those with special needs. And it’s true. Because your whole attitude changes.”
As we’re talking one of the contestants running the 100-meter dash gets frustrated and storms off the track.
“No, don’t let him stop!” Lee cries out to one of the volunteers, “Get back on the track!”
With a little cajoling, the boy finishes the race with a volunteer jogging alongside him. Lee says there is one lesson they always try to teach at the Special Olympics: “If I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
“This will probably be the only time he’ll do that,” Lee says. “The rest of the time he’ll know, I do my best and that’s it.”
Rebecca Russell, a mother of one of the athletes, said that the day was as much about letting the kids socialize as it was about sports.
Her son, Melchiah Monbelly, knew many of the other boys he was competing against and she could hardly keep him from running off with them.
“He wants to run the whole field,” she said with a smile.
Russell said that the Special Olympics created a supporting community for children like her son.
“We’re trying to make ‘inclusion’ a reality,” she said, adding that educators and politicians often fall short of creating environments where children of special needs are fully integrated.
She said she was happy with the way the games came together this year, but ideally she’d like to see more public support.
“I would like to see one year that the government channel actually tape and view this on the television instead of highlighting Special Olympics and having the politicians speak,” she said.
As the day drew to a close, the contestants took to the medal podium to receive their awards. Everyone walked away with something, including the volunteers who walked away with smiles on their faces.
“After you do it once, that’s it,” Lee says, adding that she never has a problem attracting volunteers. “They’re all hooked and they come back.”
Special Olympics Virgin Islands – Chapter Games, St. Croix, May 12, 2012
Event Results
Males Ages 6 to 9:
100 meters:
Gold – Devonte Stevens; Silver – Kimani Joyce
50 Meters:
Gold – Nhaunda Burke; Silver – Aaron Connor; Bronze – Pearla Lloyd; 4th -Kevin Marcus
25-Meters:
Gold – Edward Saldana Jr.; Silver – Jaydin Velasquez; Bronze – Melchiah J. Monbelly;
Standing Long Jump – Heat 1:
Gold – Edward Saldana; Silver – Kelvin Munoz; Bronze – Jaydin Velasquez; 4th – Melchiah Monbelly
Standing Long Jump – Heat 2:
Gold – Nhaunda Burke; Silver – Aaron Connor
Basketball:
Gold – Devonte Stevens; Silver – Kelvin Munoz; Bronze – Kimani Joyce; 4th – Kevin Marcus
Softball Throw – Heat 1:
Gold – Kimani Joyce; Silver – Nhuanda Burke; Bronze – Devonte Stevens; 4th – Aaron Connor
Softball Throw – Heat 2:
Gold – Edward Saldana Jr.; Silver – Kelvin Munoz; Bronze – Kevin Marcus; 4th – Melchiah Monbelly
Tennis Ball Throw:
Gold – Jaydie Velasquez
Females Ages 5 to 12:
100 Meters:
Gold – LaShanna Stephens; Silver – Heracia Anatole; Bronze – Kae-Daesha Martin
50 Meters:
Gold – Lillian Hendricks; Silver – Nadaiha Johnson; Bronze – Nyah Robinson
Standing Long Jump – Heat 1:
Gold – LaShanna Stephens; Silver -Kai-Daesha Martin; Bronze – Heracia Anatole; 4th – Rachel Patrick
Standing Long Jump – Heat 2:
Gold – Lillian Hendricks; Silver – Nyah Robinson
Basketball:
Gold – Celine; Silver Tie – Heracia Anatole and LaShanna Stephens; Bronze – Nadaiha Johnson; 4th – Nyah Robinson; 5th – Lillian Hendricks; 6th – Kai-Daesha Martin
Males Ages 10 to 12
25 Meters:
Gold: Dewayne Hendricks; Silver – Jahleeq Stevens
25 Meter Wheelchair:
Gold – Jetorie Graham
50 Meters- Heat 1:
Gold – Shamur Tull; Silver – Gilbert Johnson
50 Meters – Heat 2:
Gold – Wayne Burke; Silver – J-Laun Vaughn
100 Meters:
Gold – Elijah Spencer
Standing Long Jump, Heat 1:
Gold – Jahleeq Stephens; Silver –J-Laun Vaughn
Standing Long Jump, Heat 2:
Gold – Gilbert Johnson
Basketball – Heat 1:
Gold –Shamur Tull
Basketball – Heat 2:
Gold – Elijah Spencer; Silver – Dewayne Hendricks; Bronze – Wayne Burke
Softball Throw Heat 1:
Gold – Wayne Burke; Silver – Elijah Spencer; Bronze – Dewayne Hendricks
Softball Throw Heat 2:
Gold –Shamur Tull; Silver –J-Laun Vaughn
Softball Throw, Heat 3:
Gold – Gilbert Johnson
Softball Throw, Heat 4:
Gold: Jetorie Graham
Tennis Ball Throw, Heat 1:
Gold – Dewayne Hendricks; Silver Jahleeq Stephens;
Tennis Ball Throw, Heat 2:
Gold – Jetorie Graham
Males Ages 13 to 15
50 Meters – Heat 1:
Gold –Joel Rodriguez; Silver – Jahkiel Maynard
50 Meters – Heat 2:
Gold – Emmanuel Santana; Silver – Devon Benjamin
100 Meters, Heat 1:
Gold – Dian Benjamin
100 Meters, Heat 2:
Gold – Randy Penn; Silver– Devon Benjamin
Standing Long Jump:
Gold – Emmanuel Santana; Silver – Jahkiel Maynard; Bronze – Randy Penn; 4th – Joel Rodriguez
Basketball:
Gold – Dian Benjamin; Silver – Devon Benjamin; Bronze – Randy Penn
Softball Throw-Heat 1:
Gold – Dian Benjamin; Silver- Emmanuel Santana
Softball Throw-Heat 2:
Gold –Joel Rodriguez
Softball Throw – Heat 3:
Gold – Jahkiel Maynard
Females Ages 13 and up
25 Meters:
Gold – Kima Todman; Silver – Chrystil Harper
50 Meters:
Gold – Briana Samuel; Silver – Kim Todman
100 Meters:
Gold – Thea Hughes; Silver – Shamara Forde; Bronze – Lynisha LaFond
Standing Long Jump:
Gold – Thea Hughes; Silver –Shamara Forde; Bronze – Ebony Roumo; 4th – Briana Samuel
Basketball:
Gold – Shamara Forde; Silver – Ebony Roumo; Bronze – Lynisha LaFond
Softball Throw-Heat 1:
Gold – Ebony Roumo; Silver Lynisha LaFond
Softball Throw-Heat 2:
Gold –Kima Todman; Silver – Chrystil Harper
Softball Throw-Heat 3:
Gold –Thea Hughes; Silver – Briana Samuel
Tennis Ball Throw:
Gold – Chrystil Harper
Males Ages 16 -20
100 Meters – Heat 1:
Gold – Ariel Turnbull; Silver –Marquis Aubain; Bronze – Dale Brathwaite
100 Meters – Heat 2:
Gold – Anthony Cepeda; Silver – Denzel Benjamin; Bronze – Dieon Rojas
50 Meters:
Gold –Ariel Turnbull; Silver – Leeroy Johnson; Bronze – Malcolm Lindsey
Standing Long Jump – Heat 1:
Gold – Leeroy Johnson; Silver – Malcolm Lindsey
Standing Long Jump – Heat 2:
Gold – Denzel Benjamin; Silver – Dale Brathwaite; Bronze – Dieon Rojas
Basketball:
Gold – Marquis Aubain; Silver –Ariel Turnbull; Bronze – Denzel Benjamin; 4th –Dale Brathwaite; 5th – Anthony Cepeda; 6th – Dieon Rojas
Softball Throw, Heat 1:
Gold – Malcolm Lindsey
Softball Throw, Heat 2:
Gold – Anthony Cepeda; Silver – Leeroy Johnson
Softball Throw – Heat 3:
Gold: Marquis Aubain; Silver – Dieon Benjamin
Females Adult
10 Meter Walk:
Gold – Patricia Losch; Silver – Christina Rhymer
25 Meters:
Gold – Jennifer Richards; Silver –Lakisha Hansen
50 Meters:
Gold – Rosemary Dash; Silver – Wanita Jarvis; Bronze – Jacinth Carty
Standing Long Jump, Heat 1:
Gold – Rosemary Dash; Silver – Jennifer Richards; Bronze – Lakisha Hansen
Standing Long Jump, Heat 2:
Gold – Wanita Jarvis; Silver – Jacinth Carty
Basketball:
Gold – Wanita Jarvis; Silver – Joycelyn Dickerson; Bronze – Rosemary Dash;
4th – Patricia Losch
Softball Throw, Heat 1:
Gold –Jennifer Richards; Silver – Jocelyn Dickerson; Bronze – Lakisha Hansen
Softball Throw, Heat 2:
Gold – Jacinth Carty; Silver – Patricia Losch; Bronze – Christina Rymer
Tennis Ball Throw:
Gold – Jocelyn Dickerson; Silver – Christina Rymer
Males Adult
10 Meter Walk:
Gold – Kelvin Lake; Silver – Calvin Todman
50 Meters:
Gold –Zinworth Christopher; Silver –Unison John; Bronze –Leon Vanbeverhoudt; 4th – Burton Hansen
100 Meters:
Gold – Timothy Laurent; Silver – Kahlid Meyers; Bronze – Terry Huggins; 4th – Leon Vanbeverhoudt
Standing Long Jump:
Gold –Timothy Laurent; Silver – Leon Vanbeverhoudt
Basketball, Heat 1:
Gold–Burton Hansen
Basketball, Heat 2:
Gold – Zinworth Christopher; Silver – Timothy Laurent; Bronze – Rasheed Mumin; 4th – Unison John; 5th – Terry Huggins
Softball Throw, Heat 1:
Gold –Kelvin Lake; Silver –Calvin Todd
Softball Throw, Heat 2:
Gold –Kahlid Meyers; Silver – Zinworth Christopher; Bronze – Unison John
Softball Throw, Heat 3
Gold – Terry Huggins; Silver – Rasheed Mumin
Tennis Ball Throw:
Gold – Kelvin Lake; Silver – Calvin Todd
Tennis Group IX
Men’s Skills A:
Gold – Jason Barrett; Silver –William Green; Bronze – Jordan LaCoss; 4th – Emery Baltimore; 5th – Tomas Torres
Women’s Skills A:
Gold –Armandel Alexander; Silver –Medina Roberts; Bronze – Chamarla Louis
Men’s Skills B:
Gold –Tomas Torres; Silver – William Green; Bronze – Emery Baltimore; 4th –Jason Barrett; 5th – Jordan LaCoss
Women’s Skills B:
Gold –Armandel Alexander; Silver Tie – Chamarla Louis and Dana Patrick
Men’s Skills C:
Gold: William Green; Silver – Jordan LaCoss
Women’s Skills C:
Gold: Armandel Alexander
