The sound of pins falling echoed in every corner of the Starlight Bowling Alley at the Santa Ana Star Casino throughout the day on Saturday.
The 2016 Unified Team Bowling Tournament attracted 428 athletes to compete. It was one of several events that Special Olympics New Mexico hosts every year.
A unified tournament means athletes both with and without disabilities form teams and compete side by side.
The tournament is opened to athletes of all levels, with teams consisting of at least four members, but teams don’t compete against each other. Instead, each team has their own competition.
Each individual tries to get the highest average score to beat his or her teammates. This allows each athlete to compete alongside people who are supporting him or her.
Randy Mascorella, the executive director for the New Mexico Special Olympics, described this bowling tournament as a “very pure” form of sports experience.
“’Pure’ means that it’s more important that you as a person do your best than it is who you beat,” Mascorella said. “In Special Olympics we celebrate the accomplishments of every single person who comes to our playing fields.”
If there’s someone who understands this concept it is Sarah Wilson. The self-described sports enthusiast is one of the Special Olympic athletes who competed on Saturday. The 29-year-old said she has been bowling since she was three years old.
“I love it. It makes me feel strong and happy. I get to make a lot of new friends,” she said.
One of Wilson’s teammates is Sarah Nunziato, whom Wilson met through ARCA, a nonprofit organization that assists people with developmental disabilities with everything from tutoring to supported living. Nunziato teaches Wilson important life skills as well as how to become part of a community.
She said Wilson always has a positive attitude and that at some point she even won a Player of the Year award, not for necessarily being the most accomplished athlete, but for embracing sportsmanship and being the most supporting and encouraging competitor.
Aside from bowling, Wilson said she enjoys other sports like volleyball, swimming and her favorite, basketball.
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Wilson said she’s learned that the most valuable thing in a Special Olympics competition is not winning, but the experience itself.
To all the other athletes Wilson only had one piece of advice.
“Good luck, I’m supporting you guys. Be strong. Be happy and don’t forget to make new friends,” she said.
According to the Special Olympics website, about 6.5 million people have an intellectual disability in the United States. Special Olympics helps over 3 million people with more than 225 programs in 180 countries.
The goal of the organization is to help individuals become productive and respected members of society through sports.
Mascorella said it’s important for people to get educated about mental disabilities so they can look past someone’s disability and build an actual relationship with the person.
This, she said, was the reason why unified tournaments are more than just a fun day of play.
“By giving people the opportunity to participate in a unified sport, we’ve really been able to educate people about being able to come play with us and not just see us from a distance,” Mascorella said.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
