making a special difference

Let me win, but if I cannot win,

  Let me be brave in the attempt.

--Special Olympics oath 

There are many images that have endured since that June morning when the statewide Special Olympics was contested at the University of Richmond, but almost three months later, one stands out above the rest.

Several events into the track and field competition, a 25-meter race was held for wheelchair athletes. At the sound of the starting pistol, the contestants were off, all except a young girl name Emily Hansen who, as the others sped away, began to move down the straightaway literally inch by inch. The crowd at trackside began to cheer. “Come on, Emily!” they yelled over and over.  “You can do it!”

At very long last, actually five and a half minutes later, her final push thrust her across the finish line. The crowd was still cheering. The feeling of joy and excitement for her accomplishment was palpable. It was one of many inspiring moments that put the “Special” in Special Olympics.

A group of friends from Collegiate shared the experience that cool, overcast day at the invitation of John Moreau, a long-time colleague who sits on the board of Special Olympics Virginia. For many of us, it was a pleasant and very rewarding way to spend an early-summer morning. For John, who oversees the wheelchair division, it was another high point in a 365-day-per-year labor of love.

“It warms your heart,” explained Moreau, who teaches Middle School physical education and serves as head varsity softball coach. “It shows how blessed we all are. What stands out is the love and devotion the parents have for their challenged children. My reward is being around all of them.”

Moreau joined Special Olympics as a volunteer in the late 1980’s. At the time, he was a well known and highly respected basketball official in the midst of a career that lasted 37 years, 32 at the college level. He refereed all over the country, most notably in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East. He frequently appeared on television.  On four occasions, he called games in the Elite Eight. He reffed the 1976 Olympic Trials.  He officiated games in which such luminaries as Michael Jordan, Bill Walton, David Thompson, and Len Bias competed.

He thought those assignments were exciting, but then he had the chance to work the World Games of the Special Olympics in 1991 (Minneapolis), 1995 (New Haven, CN), 1999 (Chapel Hill), and 2003 (Dublin, Ireland). “It’s about the athletes,” explained the Charlotte, NC, native.  “It’s seeing people overcoming difficulties, whether it’s vision, physical, or mental or a combination of the three. “The biggest thrill I ever had was being around wheelchair basketball.”

Moreau is a familiar figure in the world of Special Olympics. He’s been involved long enough to know most of the athletes in Virginia by name. His unabashed ebullience, his perpetual optimism, and his friendliness make him a welcomed participant in their activities.

“John is a very compassionate individual,” said Rick Jeffrey, president of Special Olympics Virginia.  “He understands the importance of having people with disabilities and without disabilities together so that the athletes can prove their value to the community and to themselves. “What he does embraces our philosophy so well.”

The way Moreau sees it, though, he’s as much a winner as each athlete who challenges his limits. “I don’t know how much these children have to smile about,” explains the University of Richmond graduate who’s taught at Collegiate for 35 years.  “They smile, and they’re happy when you congratulate them, but the feeling we get back is so great. “Why do I do all this?  Because I love the Special Olympics.”