‘It hurts not just me, but every athlete’
By Marie Szaniszlo | Saturday, March 21, 2009 |
http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
Colin Davidson, a Special Olympics athlete who has won more than 100 gold medals over the past 18 years, was at his job at Stop & Shop yesterday when he read that President Obama, in an appearance Thursday on “The Tonight Show,” had compared his dismal performance in bowling to “the Special Olympics or something.”
Davidson, 26, shot some hoops outside his Northboro home after work and described his reaction to the Herald’s Marie Szaniszlo.
I was at work, where I stock shelves, bag and (round up) carriages, when I read about it in the New York Post.
I was insulted. I was a little irritated about it.
I know he was making a joke. But it hurts not just me, but every athlete in the Special Olympics, especially when it’s said by someone you support. You would think he would never say such a thing.
I got involved in the Special Olympics when I was in middle school. At first I tried the real football. Later, I played basketball, skiing, sailing, and track and field.
At the national games in 2006, I won a gold medal for the running long jump.
The whole organization is another family to me, which I’m grateful for.
It’s given me success, confidence, self-esteem and just taught me to be happy with who I am.
Its motto is: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
What (Obama) said was wrong. But I accept his apology. It was sincere. It was meaningful. And it was nice of him to say that.
Every athlete out there is just being the best they can. It’s really nice to see people being friendly in the program and respecting one another.
I think inviting Special Olympics athletes to the White House would be a good thing.
I bowl just for fun. The last time I bowled, I think I scored a 245. I actually could kick the president’s butt at bowling. But I wouldn’t make fun of him if I did.
Article URL:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1160032 **********************
So, there you are.
This is the result of the careless remarks
by the leader of the free world.
The last sentance of the article says it all.
The coach of Duke was right.
It's the economy he should be focusing on
not Final Four Brackets, and, I might add,
appearing on talk shows where he does not
have a teleprompter. He disparraged Nancy
Reagan without one, now a whole category
of individuals who had no cause for their
life's station.
As a possible silver lining, let's hope this fopar
will draw attention to the millions of great families
who suffer with mental challenges daily, having some
positive result from same.....