Sports At Its Best

Among my favorite events to attend each March is the Special Olympics, sponsored by the San Gabriel  Breakfast Kiwanis Club.    This year, athletes attended from Georgetown, Taylor, Hutto and Austin.    To me, the Special Olympics, wherever they’re held, are really what sports is about, a sweet, enduring and pure activity not based on financial gain, or really, even about winning.   In Special Olympics, everyone wins.  Like 11-year-old Alize Ramos, helping begin the games in a torch run around the track, assisted by her teacher, Clay Cansler, left, and Georgetown firefighter Colby Lyons.   Or athletes Zeke Walker and Trevor Leathers going head-to-head in the 100-meter run.   After the race, the young men shared a warm hug.    One of my favorite moments is the last photo in this series, where athlete Suraj Naik, at left, gets a hug from volunteer Austin Mallard, a senior at Georgetown High School, also a member of the football team.   Normally, I’m not a fan of someone looking right into my lens, but the young football player’s eyes spoke volumes about his compassion for the athletes.   We need a few more Austin Mallards in the world.   These photos were taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.