OLYMPICS DRAOW 300 SPECIAL ATHLETES

Mark Yeargian has spent a lot of time the past two days getting acquainted with a new wheelchair.

"I've been practicing all week for a wheelchair race," said Yeargian, a student at Fredericktown Middle School. "But, my wheelchair developed a major short and we had to rent another one. This one is faster, and it takes some getting used to."

Yeargian was entered in the 25-meter, motorized wheelchair race, and the wheelchair tennis-ball throw in Saturday's Region 9 Special Olympics, held at the Abe Stuber Track and Field Complex at Southeast Missouri State University. The university hosted the 13th annual event.

"The Special Olympics are designed to give the physical and mentally handicapped opportunities for physical fitness and athletic competition." said Mary Richards, assistant director for the University Center. "Competitions are broken down into age groups, and into capability levels to keep the competition closer.

"Some of these youngsters really work hard," said Richards. "They train for weeks for their events." Richards pointed out that not all participants are youngsters. "We have one lady here this year who is 70."

Yeargian was one of more than 300 Special Olympic athletes who entered Saturday's competition. He was one of 13 participants from Fredericktown.

"This is my first year to compete," said Yeargian. "I've been practicing hard. It's great to see so many people here."

Accompanying Yeargian to the Special Olympics was his mother, Tammy Yeargian.

On the list of entries was another Fredericktown youngster, Richie Heenan.

"I've been here before," said Heenan, who participated in the 50-meter dash, softball throw and 400-meter relay. Heenan advanced to state competition in 1991, picking up a gold and a silver medal there.

"We have great cooperation from Fredericktown and Madison County," said Anna DuVall, a teacher at Fredericktown Middle School who has been involved in the Special Olympics since she was a student at Southeast Missouri State. "We have a group of 32 people here, including athletes and volunteers."

Vicki Mitchell, who volunteers as a coach at Sikeston, has been involved in the Special Olympics more than a decade, and one of her athletes Ann Lucas qualified for international competition a year ago.

Lucas, who is one of the "independent" entries, participated in the 50-meter sprint, softball throw and standing long jump.

"I really like the sprints," said Lucas, who now helps with a kindergarten program at Sikeston. "I've spend a lot of time practicing."

"This year, the competition ends at the state level," said Mitchell. "International competition is conducted every four years."

A year ago, Lucas won regional and state competition and qualified for the International Special Olympics held at Minneapolis-St. Paul.

"We were going to participate," said Lucas. "But, the coach became ill, and we had to cancel."

Winners from the Region 9 meet here will qualify for state competition, to be held at Fort Leonard Wood.

More than 30 schools from communities throughout Southeast Missouri sent teams Saturday, and many of the athletes were associated with VIP Industries from Cape Girardeau, Perryville and Marble Hill. Participants who were not involved with schools entered as independents.

Track and field events included softball throw, standing broad jump, running long jump, high jump, shot-put, and 50-, 100- and 200-meter dashes. Also included on the schedule of events were a motorized wheelchair race and a 25-meter walk.

Volunteers helping with the Saturday event included individuals or groups from the university, area churches, businesses, and Boy and Girl Scouts.

Heather Campbell and Mike Stone, seniors at the university, were student directors for the event Saturday.

"We had more than 300 volunteers," said Stone.

Each year a special "Outstanding Sports Personality" is selected for the annual event. This year's recipient was Lee Ann Fisher, assistant director of recreational sports at the university.

Stan Smith of Mississippi County is the Region 9 director. "I've worked with the Special Olympics a number of years," said Smith. "I was a coach before becoming director four years ago."

Special Olympics got its start in the 1960s when Eunice Kennedy Shriver started a "special" day camp in the back yard of her home. Shriver's sister, Rosemary, was one of the "special" people.

In 1968, the first International Summer Special Olympic Games were held at Soldier Field in Chicago, with 1,000 athletes from the U.S., Canada, and France participating. The event was financed by the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation and the Chicago Park District.

Twenty years later, more than 5,000 special athletes participated in the annual summer games, held at Notre Dame University. Special athletes came from 70 countries and more than 60,000 spectators were on hand. The opening ceremonies were televised nationally the first time in history that television spotlighted handicapped people as stars of a prime-time, entertainment special.