Cache's Special Olympians never, ever give up

Editor's note: Since this was written, the athletes left for Nagano, competed, and closing ceremonies were March 5. Patrick Phillips placed first in the Cross Country 4x1K Relay Freestyle, with a time of 26:12.90. He also took home the gold in the 5K Race Classical. Mary Dawn Waite's best time was 31:24.20 in the Cross Country 4x1K Relay Freestyle, earning her a fourth-place finish.

By Natalie Andrews

March 23, 2005 | Sometimes, the best athletes are hard to find. Sometimes they are the best, not because of their time, or ability, but because of their willingness to fight disability.

And, sometimes the best athletes are the best because they won't give up.

"They get tired, for sure, but they never quit. Never," Team USA Cross-Country Ski Coach Dave Bregenzer said of the two Special Olympic athletes he coaches.

Patrick Phillips and Mary Dawn Waite are Special Olympic Cross Country Skiers who left February 20 to Japan to compete in the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games. They will compete at the same venues Olympian athletes did in 1998.

Utah sent 10 athletes and four coaches to join the 200 athletes and 89 coaches that form Team USA. In total, 2,500 athletes and 650 coaches from 80 countries will compete at the event, seeking to fulfill the Special Olympics motto: "Let me win; but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

Selection is chosen, not by the best athletes, but by division winners. Participants are placed in a division based on ability from preliminaries the state games; The final gold medalists from the seven or eight divisions are then placed in a pool and chosen at random.

Those selected go to the World Games. This means that the name of a skier in the last division could be chosen and he would go to Nagano over a better skier. There are no USA games. Each state has a predetermined amount for team members in each division. Utah had two open positions for cross-country skiers, which were snatched by Waite and Phillips.

It is unusual to have the only skiers from the same location, and even more exciting is that there will actually be three athletes from the valley, a 14-year old snowshoer named Sarah Wyatt joined the other two.

After selection, the participants were evaluated under strict criteria.

They must be able to take care of themselves, have proper behavior, and commit to a rigorous training schedule. This can eliminate several of the athletes, all of whom are intellectually disabled in some way.

Waite, 32, is one of the few Special Olympic athletes to go to a world games twice; she went to Alaska in 2001. Every four years, when the Special Olympics convenes for their World Winter Games, it is the largest winter sporting event in the world of that year.

Leaning back on his ski poles and chuckling, Bregenzer recalls the stress in Alaska. On the last day of competition, Waite still had not medaled in any of her events. Worried, Bregenzer didn't want to watch and left to do some cross-country skiing on his own. Waite knew of Bregenzer's fear and when she won the gold medal that day, she kept it a secret, hiding it in underneath her coat. When Bregenzer came back, Waite giggled at his disappointed face when he didn't see a medal around hanging around her neck. Her timing was perfect-she yanked the shiny gold out of her coat and flashed it in her coach's surprised face.

Athlete and coach embraced, and they both flew home champions.

Bregenzer describes his experience as a coach as "typical and atypical" and says he plays the role of both a coach and a friend. It is the coaching role that must encourage training as his two athletes prepare for the games. At practice, Bregenzer rushes back and forth between skiers, making sure they are doing OK. He doesn't say much, though, because the skiers will be alone when they compete and he wants to simulate that.

As for the athletes, this is Waite's 16th year on the USU Special Olympics team. Every year, she wins the "mom award" for her motherly awareness for the other athletes. If an athlete on the team gets hurt, Waite is always the first to go up to him or her and make sure the athlete is OK, said Greg Morris, head of delegations for the USU Special Olympics team. Morris is in charge of Special Olympics at USU and can be seen at practices directing athletes and coaches. A managerial team of directors that take charge of different aspects of coordination for the athletes leads the USU Special Olympics team.

Waite's coaches love working with her. Melanie Hall, the athletic director for the USU Special Olympics managerial team, knows Waite from coaching her in swimming. "She sets a good example for everyone else, including the volunteers," She said. Whenever an athlete gets lost or wanders off, Waite is the gentle shepherd who will go look for them and bring them back.

Waite works in the back room of Hastings, and reading is one of the ways she has been preparing for Japan. She doesn't talk much, but her profile on the Team USA website, www.specialolympicsteamusa.org, expresses her excitement.

"Wow, I am excited. I have been trying to learn about Japan on the computer. I have people talk to me about going to Japan so I get to know more people," Waite says.

Special Olympic volunteers know 27-year-old Phillips as the "most hilarious guy you'll ever meet."

"He loves to play jokes on people. He likes to make people random happy all the time," Hall said. Hall coached Phillips in aquatics events in the summer.

"He likes to shake his booty a little bit. He has no fear and he'll be the first one to get out and have fun," Morris said. Once, on the way home from a state competition, the Special Olympics volunteers were using radios to communicate with each other while they caravanned home.

Phillips grabbed the radio and started singing love songs to one of the girl volunteers in the other van. Phillips ended the trip, amid the giggles of other athletes and volunteers, with a dramatically serious,

"Will you marry me?"

"He's just always doing stuff like that," Morris said. Morris watched Phillips creep up to a volunteer sleeping on a picnic bench at a competition and jump on his stomach to wake him up.

Phillips doesn't easily forget a face. He sorts the pizza at the Pizza Hut in the Hub, and greets the regulars in his apron and hat with a smile that encourages conversation. He answers questions with a nod, by saying "Yes" or a shake of his head. He ends conversations at Pizza Hut with, "Do you want some pizza?"

"No one has more fun working at USU," Phillip's dad, Dallin Phillips said.

When Bregenzer came to tell Phillips that he was going to Nagano, Phillips took off his Hub apron, pausing long enough to hang it up, and walked out the door, apparently on his way already.

"Every time I see [Phillips and Waite], they're more excited than the time before," Bregenzer said about anticipation for the upcoming trip.

The list of what participation in Special Olympics can do for people with intellectual disabilities is long. It includes "improved physical fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence, a more positive self-image, friendships, and increased family support. Special Olympics athletes carry these benefits with them into their daily lives at home, in the classroom, on the job, and in the community," the official Special Olympics Web site says.

Waite and Phillip's dedication shows. "These two, from a coach's viewpoint, are the perfect athletes to coach. They don't back out," Bregenzer said.

Athletes involved in Special Olympics improve in their sport 98 percent of the time, a study done by the Special Olympics shows. Patrick is proof of that. The first time Bregenzer started working with Patrick,

"I didn't even know if he was having fun."

That was five years ago.

"And now, he's one of the best," Bregenzer said.

Waite is an experienced skier, and loves to keep going. "I don't remember her being discouraged. Ever," Bregenzer said.

Waite and Phillips have been following a rigorous training schedule since selection in May. They continued with other Special Olympic events; Waite swims and Phillips is an avid track and field star. "I can run pretty far…yeah about that long" he said, extending his arms out to his sides and smiling even wider.

The most important part of their training took place indoors. Weight lifting and cardio exercises at the Sports Academy helped keep the athletes in top shape. The gym provided Phillips with a personal trainer and Waite with a free membership while they trained for the big event. It has paid off-Waite has moved from 20 to 30 pounds on the lateral pull down machine. This is impressive because her disability has the potential to slow her down.

"The stuff they do in the gym is at least as important as what they do out here," Bregenzer said, clipping on his skis. He sends Mary Dawn first to find the track in the HPER field, and Patrick about fifty feet after. Their motions look to be as on an elliptical machine at a gym.

They never stop and maintain a steady rhythm. Stilted coordination manages their moves along the track. They keep a fixed pace and Bregenzer bets that they could "probably cross-country ski better than most people in this valley."

The highlight of the training was meeting the rest of Team USA at Copper Mountain, Colo. for a five day training camp in December. The camp was a time for athletes to get to know their teammates and try some Japanese food. It included a fashion show displaying the red and black uniforms designed and donated by Columbia Sportswear that the athletes will compete in.

Athletes also have been working on another major element of the trip.

Getting there. Community fundraisers with the USU Special Olympics team have been pushing to get all the athletes to Nagano. Wendy's donated all of its profits one night, and a public garage sale took place at Michael's craft store. The athletes and volunteers walked around in matching blue T-shirts with cans asking for donations at an Aggie basketball game.

"The Special Olympics are not about winning or losing. It's not about winning at all," the older Phillips says, speaking from experience learned from his son.

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