MENTOR, Ohio – Hundreds of people are lining the streets of Ohio to catch a glimpse of the iconic Olympic torch.
“Local law officers ride and cycle throughout the state, all the way to Columbus, where we will arrive there Friday at our opening ceremonies for the Special Olympics,” said Kara Schubert of the Lake County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
The board has been prepping more than 100 athletes in its special-needs community for Special Olympics Ohio, held this weekend at The Ohio State University in Columbus.
“Many of our athletes have been competing for years,” Schubert said. “Some have retired, as our population is getting a little older. But we have people all the way from 14 to 78 participating in different sports.”
“We are lucky that we have real good competitors in our area and we are able to come home with a lot of gold medals,” she added. “We plan of coming home with a lot of gold medals.”
About 3,500 athletes from across Ohio will compete in the summer games.
This year, Todd Reider will be on Mentor’s bocce team. He’s been competing in the state Olympic Games for more than 30 years.
“I always want to go back. I want to keep going. I want to win,” Reider said. “The one thing I’m so proud of is that we can have a great time at the summer games and learn about… to be together as a team.“
For more information on Special Olympics Ohio, go to http://www.sooh.org.