A Very Special Day

"Let me win.  But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."   -The Special Olympics Athletes Oath   

      As many of my friends know, I don't make any secrets to the fact that I play golf.  My son and daughter as well as my wife play golf.  It is a sport that we enjoy very much and has its challenges and rewards. Someone has also been said that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they play golf.  All of this is true.  It could be said that I am a golf nut. On Thursday, my perspective on the game and of life itself changed.  I participated with my son in a Special Olympics Golf Tournament.This was truly a "Special" day.
     I am no stranger to playing in golf tournaments.  In fact, a few years ago it was my pleasure to play in an high level regional event where I had to qualify to get in.  This was golf at a high tournament level.  We played on the best courses and against the best competition. Every little aspect of the game mattered, especially the score. The stakes were high, even though we weren't playing for money.  You really wanted to have your"A" game going and play well. The pressure was on, even though it was a lot of fun.
     Thursday was different.  We played on a course that was a par three course and holes were no longer than 180 yards.  There were no 400 yard par fours or lengthy 600 yard par fives. The course was not in the best of shape. The greens were not fast and true, but bumpy and slow at best. This was not the PGA, but you wouldn't know it if you looked at the faces of the competitors. You could see the simple joy of just competing in each of their faces. Believe me, their enthusiasm was contagious.
     We all talk about what courage is. I saw the true definition of courage in all the athletes.  No matter what their circumstances, they participated and had a lot of fun.  One athlete that played in my foursome perhaps demonstrated that true quality of courage.  Her name was Maria and she played from a wheelchair. She didn't hit the ball far, in fact the ball never went more than twenty yards but that didn't matter.  Just the look on her face and the determination that she showed touched me in a way that I will not soon forget. She squeezed every ounce of joy she could from the experience. I am still getting goose bumps just remembering the time with her.
     I had a lot of fun at this tournament and was taught a lot about the game of golf and life itself-- more than you will know and certainly more than I would have ever imagined.  

This is the true definition of courage and competition.