Special Olympics

It takes a special person to see the limitless potential of the human spirit. In 1962, one Marylander was such a person. "The Special Olympics movement began here in Maryland in Eunice Kennedy Shriver's backyard," says Pat Krebs, who since 1992 has been president of Special Olympics Maryland. On Friday, the group holds opening ceremonies for its Summer Games at Towson University, where more than 1,000 athletes will compete in aquatics, athletics, softball and equestrian games. Krebs, 56, has been working with the Special Olympics since 1973, including working internationally to set up games in countries like the former Soviet Union.

Haloti Ngata recorded 31 tackles, a sack and an interception in his rookie campaign last season. Sports Illustrated recently named him one of the league's top 10 defenders under the age of 25. What do you find more satisfying - a bone-jarring hit or an interception like the one you had in last season's opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? I would rather get a big hit than an interception. I don't want to hurt a guy, but I want him to feel me and know that I'm there. Do you feel like there's more pressure on you to perform?

Halloween might as well move to January. Along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay at Sandy Point State Park yesterday, Superman and Batman posed for a picture. Little Bo Peep pranced around in fishnet stockings. Ariel from The Little Mermaid was nearby in a purple shell bra, a red wig and a fish bottom. And of course, there was The King. As the popularity of the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge has increased, the atmosphere surrounding the daylong event has taken on a life of its own. "It's always been a very festive event," said Kelley Wallace Schniedwind, a spokeswoman for Special Olympics Maryland and organizer of the plunge.

The brave and the silly descended upon Sandy Point State Park last weekend for the 11th annual Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge. More than 7,000 partic ipants chilled themselves in the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday, raising $2 million for the Special Olympics in the process. Among the swimmers was former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a habitual plunger.

The thump of a ball through a hoop at 6 a.m. yesterday signaled that Amanda Walker was more than ready for her first year as an athlete in the Special Olympics Carroll County Spring Area Games.The opening parade was a good four hours away, said her mother, Michelle Walker of Westminster, but Amanda, an 8-year-old student at Robert Moton Elementary School, couldn't wait."She was up this morning at 6 a.m., shooting baskets at the hoop with a plastic bowling ball. My husband asked, `What was that?

RALEIGH, N.C. -- They mingled like any team. They played like any team. At times, it was difficult to tell which players were mentally retarded, and which were not.Say hello to the Maryland Unified Soccer Team, a 2-1 loser to Ohio yesterday at the Special Olympics World Games, but one of the more interesting collections of athletes ever assembled.The rules state that six players on the field must be Special Olympics athletes, and the other five can be "partners" with no disabilities. It just so happens that Team Maryland also divides evenly on racial lines, and includes a woman.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Claremont School in East Baltimore held an assembly last month, honoring its Special Olympics state participants and its sole entrant in the World Games, Julia Jones."

The thump of a ball through a hoop at 6 a.m. yesterday signaled that Amanda Walker was more than ready for her first year as an athlete in the Special Olympics Carroll County Spring Area Games.The opening parade was a good four hours away, said her mother, Michelle Walker of Westminster, but Amanda, an 8-year-old student at Robert Moton Elementary School, couldn't wait."She was up this morning at 6 a.m., shooting baskets at the hoop with a plastic bowling ball. My husband asked, `What was that?

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Is it too late to change the theme? "It's all about attitude" is perfectly suitable, but a woman with Down syndrome offered Special Olympics president Tim Shriver an even better motto."

The thump of a ball through a hoop at 6 a.m. yesterday signaled that Amanda Walker was more than ready for her first year as an athlete in the Special Olympics Carroll County Spring Area Games.The opening parade was a good four hours away, said her mother, Michelle Walker of Westminster, but Amanda, an 8-year-old student at Robert Moton Elementary School, couldn't wait."She was up this morning at 6 a.m., shooting baskets at the hoop with a plastic bowling ball. My husband asked, `What was that?

Jerome Lawrence "Larry" Ettlin, who taught physical education for three decades in Baltimore public schools and managed a swimming and tennis club for many years, died Wednesday at Sinai Hospital of complications that developed after intestinal surgery seven weeks ago. The longtime Pikesville resident was 70. Born in Baltimore and raised in the city's Park Heights area, Mr. Ettlin was a 1957 graduate of City College, where he was a member of the varsity...

Lightning had flickered in a darkening sky, so practice was officially canceled at Old Mill Senior High in Millersville late Wednesday afternoon. But that didn't stop three longtime buddies from taking to the oval track and starting up their laps, just as they'd planned. Andrew Rickard, 36, long-legged in a T-shirt and belted khaki shorts, set a fast pace. A cheerful Bobby Brick, 37, followed close behind, joshing with onlookers as he jogged along. Burly Marty Valaske, 39, unmoved by the excitement building around him, simply strolled in a lane all his own. "These guys do like to push each other, in their own ways," said Adil Moutanabbih, a volunteer track and field coach with Special Olympics Maryland.

Joseph Bobinski Jr. started competing in the Special Olympics when he was just 10 years old. He was a mildly autistic child whose parents hoped he would benefit from interaction with teammates. Six years later, the student at Reservoir High School in Howard County is a stronger, more confident athlete. The sport has helped him open up and communicate more, said his father, Joseph Bobinski Sr. "He looks forward to it and feels rewarded. He just enjoys running." On Saturday, he competed in the 200- and 400-meter runs, and his dad, who coaches and coordinates the track-and-field athletes for Howard County, hopes Joey can move on to the 800-meter race.

Diane Mikulis may have closed the book on her tenure as a member of the county school board, but she is showing no signs of slowing down. The Glenelg resident is going to shift her attention back to family, friends and some of the volunteer activities that she did not have enough time for while serving on the board the past four years. Mikulis, 50, said she plans to devote more time to working with the Boy Scouts and Special Olympics. Last week, Mikulis accompanied a Scout troop on a camping trip on the Appalachian Trail.

Among John Newnan's fondest childhood memories is going to picnics with his mother, who worked for the state mental health department and often volunteered to help people with developmental disabilities. The experiences had a lasting effect: Newnan adopted his mother's commitment and has dedicated more than 20 years to helping people with intellectual disabilities. "I made friends and realized early on that people are people," Newnan said. "It's a passion of mine. It's something I truly believe in. "There's no better cause to be in the community than this.

Wicomico County Salisbury Officer sentenced for misconduct A former Salisbury police officer convicted of misconduct for having sex with a woman he arrested has been sentenced to a year in jail. Tracy Ross Sparpaglione, 27, of Laurel was acquitted of rape but found guilty on charges of misconduct in April. The former officer's attorney said an appeal was planned. According to testimony at his bench trial Friday, Sparpaglione had been an officer for about six months when he went to the 19-year-old woman's home last May, about four hours after arresting her on an assault charge.

Bill will open doors for disabled athletes Milton Kent fears that passage of the Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities bill opens up a "potentially massive can of worms" ("Bill went too far," April 15). But those of us who daily serve the disability community are appalled at the can of worms his elitist comments have opened up. This bill may not be perfect. What piece of legislation ever is? And there will certainly be bumps along the way. The transition from big-picture theory to implementation at the grassroots level is never simple, no matter what the issue is. But this bill marks the first step toward equality on the playing fields for students with disabilities.

On February 11, 2008, CATHERINE CECELIA (nee Guthrie); beloved wife of the late George E. Bennett, Sr.; devoted mother of Mr. and Mrs. George Bennett, Jr., Jeffrey and Elizabeth Bennett, Richard Coumbes and the late Kitty Coumbes; loving grandmother of seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. Visiting from the Lassahn Funeral Home (Overlea), 7401 Belair Road on Tuesday, 2-4 and 7-9 P.M., and Wednesday 9-11 A.M., at which time services will begin.

Happily wrapped in fleece and drinking a hot beverage, you suddenly realize it's that time - the season of the shivery swim for charity. And the region's biggest, the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, is coming in two weeks. It's a rite of passage for some, a dare for many and a good deed for all. The quick foray into the frigid waters of the Chesapeake Bay benefits Special Olympics, and thousands now wade in. So, how can one stay healthy and safe during this short but extremely cold act of momentary insanity?

The walls at Meadowbrook Aquatic Center in Mount Washington are adorned with poster-sized portraits of past and future champions who cut their competitive teeth there. But while the record-breaking performances of world-class athletes such as Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff garner most of the swimming facility's attention, another Meadowbrook member recently enjoyed his moment in the spotlight. Phil Wetzler, 69, a longtime volunteer coach who has dedicated much of his life to working with people with disabilities, was chosen by Team USA to serve as an assistant aquatics coach during the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China, which concluded Thursday.