Sent off in style: Jacksonville-area's Special Olympians head to national games to compete

Jacksonville stand-up paddle board athlete Megan Bell has one plan this week as she joins 20 other athletes from Northeast Florida at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando.

"I'm going to do my best and have fun," the 31-year-old competitor said during Friday's send-off to the games, with Jaguars Roar cheerleaders, the team's D-Line drumline and a police motorcycle escort.

Her first time competing at the U.S. games that take place every four years, she's been training for the competition for more than a year.

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"I've been working hard and eating healthy," Bell said. "... I'm never scared. I'm ready!"

Echoing the "Go for the gold!" cheer made many times as the athletes, coaches and families got on the bus outside TIAA Bank Field, golfer Amanda Bussey waved as she was cheered.

"I'm going to win the gold medal," she said. "Golf is fun."

Florida plays large at U.S. Special Olympics

Twenty-one runners, jumpers, swimmers, bowlers, equestrians, surfers and competitors in four other sports are competing this week from Duval, St. Johns, Nassau, Putnam, Flagler, Volusia and Clay counties. They are part of 600 Special Olympians from Florida, the largest state contingent at competitions at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Exploria Stadium, the U.S. Tennis Association's National Campus and eight other sites near Orlando.

It will be an epic event for the local athletes, said Special Olympics Northeast Florida Regional Director Justin Copertino said. But he said their chances are "gold, just gold."

"These athletes have been training for so long for this, upwards of over a year," he said. "With everything we went through with the pandemic, it's so great to be back, and this will be the experience of a lifetime, I told them."

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Founded in 1968, Special Olympics competitions are in about 190 countries and territories. The organization provides sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities so they can develop physical fitness and participate with other athletes and the community.

The Jacksonville regional games took place on April 9 with 400 athletes from Duval and eight other area counties competing in multiple sports at Atlantic Coast High School. Then on May 20 and 21, 600 Florida athletes competed in the State Summer Games at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World.

Now they head back to the Orlando area to compete in 19 Olympic-style team and individual sports. Northeast Florida's athletes will compete in swimming, stand-up paddle, golf, track and field, tennis, triathlon, equestrian, surfing, powerlifting and bowling.

Trained and ready for the games to begin

The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the sendoff Friday in its TIAA Bank Lounge, kicked off with all athletes and their families repeating the official oath that starts with "Let me win," then ends with "let me be brave in the attempt" if they cannot.

Charles Moreland, the city's deputy chief administrative officer, thanked the athletes for the work they have put in to represent Jacksonville and the First Coast.

"It is an exciting time to be so close to the games in Orlando," he said. "We hope the Floridians going to the Special Olympics will be rooting you on so you have the greatest success that you could possibly have. We have home field advantage!"

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Each athlete stood, waved and sometimes cheered as they were officially introduced with many mothers and fathers applauding back as they were named.

As she waited to board the bus after her daughter's golf clubs were loaded, Julie Bussey said she has a good feeling about daughter Amanda at the U.S. games. The 37-year-old began golfing 12 years ago when Tournament Players Championship began a Special Olympics golf program.

"I think her chances are pretty good," said her mother, who plans to walk the course as her daughter competes for four days.

"Amanda has a lot of self-confidence," she said. "I think that is what makes her a better golfer. She knows she is going to hit it well."

Susan Bell has lots of confidence as well in daughter Megan Bell's showing on the stand-up paddle board.

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"She has gone to Orlando and Daytona for training," her mother said. "This has been a year-long training for her. ... All she can do is give it her best. She knows what to do because she has trained so well."

Other Duval County competitors include: Daniel Calloway, athletics/track and field; Ryan Luck, golf; Sarah Appleton, swimming; Caleb Prewitt, triathlon; and Jennifer Hartley, triathlon.

"It's great to see all the smiles and everybody is so excited," Copertino said as Jaguars cheerleaders, Jaxon DeVille and supporters prepared for the send-off. "This is what it is all about."

An estimated 125,000 spectators will watch the competitions live, beginning with the opening ceremony broadcast from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday on ABC-TV from Exploria Stadium. Coverage continues all week on ESPN and ESPN2, with streaming coverage on ESPN3. The full broadcast schedule is at bit.ly/3PSpcqi.

And local Special Olympics competition isn't over with the U.S. games. Duval County's Special Olympics hosts a July 16 Area 4 Surfing Competition at Little Talbot Island State Park.

dscanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville-area athletes head to Special Olympics USA Games