Our everyday hustle and bustle is inundated with family, work and the many extracurricular activities to which we dedicate ourselves. With everything passing by at the speed of life, it would seem that time has become the hottest commodity these days. It says so much about a person’s character when he or she is willing to give selflessly, even when they have little time to spare.
Droves of Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility volunteers turned out for the 48th Annual Special Olympics Hawaii (SOHI) Summer Games, held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s campus on June 4-5.
Dozens of volunteers committed their weekend to help run the aquatics events at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex. They each brought the gift of an open heart, moral support and were rewarded with thousands of smiles and hugs from all of the triumphant participants.
Each year, the summer games include competitions in power-lifting, softball, swimming, and track and field events. Hundreds of SOHI athletes and coaches come from throughout the state to participate. Participating athletes began training for the games in February, and competed in area and regional competitions from March through May to qualify. Each year, about 3,000 volunteers work Saturday, Sunday or both days to support the various events.
Shipyard volunteers established themselves for more than 25 years as a vital part of the aquatics events support staff. They set up staging areas for athletes and teams, escort athletes from staging areas to their assigned swim lanes, time individual and relay events, record and run results to the awards table, cheer loudly for the athletes efforts, keep the swimming heats running smoothly, provide food and water for volunteers, and help present awards to the top three finishers in each event and relay.
Shipyard Commander Capt. Jamie Kalowsky attended again this year to help pass out awards to winning athletes. Veteran SOHI volunteer Bianca “Binx” Freitas served again this year as senior Shipyard volunteer coordinator.
“It’s such an awesome feeling to help support these champions,” said Warren Sunada, Code 920 Structural Group sheet metal mechanic supervisor 2. “We would sincerely like to thank all of the volunteers, military and civilian, all their family and friends who took the time out of their busy schedules to come out and support the community. I am very proud of everyone.”
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