250 COMPETE IN SPECIAL OLYMPICS EVENT HERE

Unlike the upcoming summer Olympic games in Atlanta, nobody built an entire village or carried a torch cross country, but these athletes didn't seem upset: They knew they were all winners.

Most of the 250 athletes at the Area 9 Special Olympics Saturday were just excited about being able to compete in the local track and field games. About half will advance to state competition May 16-18 at Fort Leonard Wood.

Some athletes got blue ribbons, others red or white; but the Missouri Special Olympics received the silver for its 25th anniversary. The games started in 1971.

Athlete Jacob Fulton of Fredericktown sang the national anthem with accompaniment by a trumpet duet. Fulton also will sing at the state games.

The crowd cheered and clapped as Danny Simpson from Cape Girardeau VIP Industries carried a flag around the track at the Abe Stuber Track complex at Southeast Missouri State University.

It might not be the fanfare athletes from around the world will receive in Atlanta for the 1996 Summer Olympic games, but this is a different type of competition.

These athletes don't care much about the competition; they just like having fun, area coaches and sponsors say.

"They have a desire to participate in activities and to have fun," said Penny Blandford, Special Olympics director for the region. "They are just happy to be here."

Many of the Special Olympic athletes can't compete in high school athletic programs, even though they attend classes side by side with students who can participate, Blandford said. But the games are for all ages, she said.

There were divisions for both males and females from 8 to 11 years old to 30 years and older.

"This is their opportunity," she said. "They have the desire and this is the opportunity that at one time they couldn't have had."

Jacob Fulton, a sophomore at Fredericktown High School, agreed: "I don't care what place I get as long as I get a place. It's like the motto. `Let me win, but if I cannot, let me be brave in the attempt."

Many of the athletes were brave. Despite soggy ground and cool breezes early in the day, they competed in a variety of events from a softball toss to the 50-meter dash. Each athlete received a ribbon from area law enforcement officers and Yep, the drug dog.

Other highlights of the day included spending time in Olympic Town where athletes, coaches and volunteers could get their faces painted, play ring toss or throw Velcro darts. McGruff the Crime Dog, Chuck E. Cheese and the Crash Dummies also were popular guests.

The Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department staff organizes the Special Olympic games each year, said Blandford, a recreation coordinator for the department. But other groups and business often volunteer for the day, she said.

Blandford, Scott Williams and Brock Davis were all Special Olympics Volunteers in college. Now they help organize the event for the city parks department.

Area 9 region of the Missouri Special Olympics extends from Jefferson County to the north and New Madrid County in the south.