The Special Olympics

There's a reason why they're called that.

Truly, it's not because people use the word "special" to desribe, mostly in a negative light, the competitors.

It's because of the fantastic people and atmosphere there. It really is special.

I had the luck of being able to volunteer at the regional skiing event, and it was something I won't forget. I was a 'ski-buddy,' meaning that I got partnered up with one of the competitors and was their devoted helper for the day. As ski buddies, we helped them ride the lift, get ready, entertained them, and cheered them on when they raced. I was the partner of the lovely lady Brandy, who is on the right in this photo. She was quite the goofball! She made jokes all day, and it's safe to say that we are and will be friends. She was very sweet and called me Amanda all day, which gave us all quite the laugh. My name is actually Emily, but she kept forgetting it... but Amanda was very close to home as my parents were going to name me that instead!

All in all, a wonderful day!

I love this photo because of how well it embodies the spirt of the day. Despite fierce competition between the three in the photo, they were all friends in the end. (Sadly, I was a second too late to catch all three holding hands, but... this is pretty close!)