Senior Dustin Johnson to Attend Special Olympics at Nationals

Post date: Oct 18, 2017 6:14:04 PM

Dustin Johnson, a senior at Kirksville High School, has the privilege of attending a

national Special Olympics that will be held in Seattle, WA this coming July. Out of 15,000

athletes, 105 were chosen to represent Missouri on team Missouri Magic. Only 10 of these

participants will be from northern Missouri.

Dustin will be participating in the 100 meter run, running long jump, Trubo Jav (mini javelin

throw), and a 4x100 relay. He will be training year round with his coach Michelle Howell in order

to do his best at the games in July.

If Dustin is to attend this event he and his coach will need to raise around $3,000. This

covers all the travelling expenses, all the team apparel, and other necessities. If half of the

amount needed is raised by December 1st, Dustin will receive pins that he can trade with other

players from the 50 states. The goal is to collect pins from all of the states in the U.S..

Special Olympics events have been held since the 1960’s. Eunice Kennedy Shriver

invited people with disabilities to showcase their athletic abilities since they were discouraged

from participating in sports because of their differences. She would hold meetings with these

athletes in her backyard. Soon after these backyard meetings, on the 20th of July, 1968, the first

international summer games were held at Soldier Field in Chicago. These games were

consistently held every four years after that. The last games were held in 2014 in New Jersey.

The Special Olympics program in Kirksville was initiated in 1995 by Mrs. Janes. Special

Olympic athletes bowled, ran track, soccer, and many other sports. This year they added

swimming, coached by the Truman swim team, to the list of sports athletes can participate in.

While the Special Olympics program here is new, it is increasing in support and will continue to

gain this assistance with the help of the school and community.

Contact Michelle Howell or Brenda Niemeyer for more information on how to support your

Special Olympics team!