West Hawaii Today intern and University of Colorado at Boulder student Mitchell Byars wrote an awesome article, published Monday, July 28, 2008, detailing the happenings and emotions felt at the Big Island Games Day for Special Olympics. In it, readers learn why residents chose to get involved with the nonprofit organization and the best part of the competition.

Here is an excerpt:

Teammate Shannon Sallas said that he was looking forward to the competition on Oahu and said that his team was going to win games.

“(My teammates) have to run fast so we can score some goals,” he said. “We want to win some games.”

But as competitive as the athletes are, they play as if they all belonged to the same team. If players fell during matches, opposing team members were quick to help them up. Players congratulated each other on good shots in the bocce courts. Soccer players who scored goals were quick to comfort goalies almost as if they wished they had missed the shot. After each game, the two teams exchanged handshakes and hugs.

“It’s the way sports are supposed to be played,” said Dave Ross, the area director for West Hawaii. “They compete, but they never let it get in the way of good sportsmanship. They could lose on a last second shot and they would say ‘that was an awesome shot.’”

Also accompanying the article are photos taken by West Hawaii Today freelance photographer Laura Shimabuku. She captured some great moments of athletes and their unified partners in action.

To see the images and read the article, click here. Or, visit www.westhawaiitoday.com and search the archives.