BUCYRUS — Gently setting the swing into motion, Penny Tarbert patiently waited for the Special Olympics torch to make its way to the Bucyrus Kroger store Thursday afternoon. It was Tarbert’s first time attending the Law Enforcement Torch Run, but her family has a long history with Special Olympics in Ohio.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Special Olympics and the Bucyrus leg of the torch run was done in memory of Tarbert’s mother, Joy Tarbert, who was a founding member of the first Special Olympics in Ohio. Joy died in 2014 at the age of 81.
The idea for the Special Olympics got its start in the early 1960s when Eunice Kennedy Shriver hosted a day camp for people with disabilities. Not long after, the first national Special Olympics meet was held at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 1968.
Shortly after the first national Special Olympics games, Joy joined forces with Mansfield native and NBC4 sports broadcaster Jimmy Crum, and Larry Johnson, an athletic director at a developmentally disabled institute in Columbus, to create a program in Ohio. The program was established as the Ohio Athletic Association and was incorporated as Special Olympics Ohio in 1975. The original games were held at Ohio Stadium.
“We didn’t have any money (for Special Olympics),” Tarbert said. “You did it on a shoestring (budget). Kids didn’t have team shirts. They just came in what they had. What it’s grown to is beyond anybody’s imagination.”
Behind Joy’s motivation was her developmentally disabled son, Mike.
“He wanted to run and do things,” Tarbert remembered. “He was fast as a flash.”
Ohio’s initial Special Olympics only featured track and field events and, according to Tarbert, some people had doubts whether the individuals could even compete. “They weren’t sure they’d be able to run the distances and whether anybody’s parents would let them do it,” Tarbert said.
At the time, developmentally disabled individuals weren’t provided with the programs and schooling offered today. In Muskingum County where Joy raised her family, a school for the developmentally disabled was not established until the mid-1960s.
“They told Mom and everybody, ‘these kids can’t do that, they can’t follow directions, they can’t do these things,’” Tarbert recalled. Her brother Mike, who passed away six months after their mother, proved the naysayers wrong.
In the second Special Olympics in Ohio, Mike entered the 40 yard dash. “We had a track member come down there to train him to run, how to do it. Mike could run — trust me — but how to do it correctly,” Tarbert said. “He had everybody beat by a mile.”
A ribbon was strung across the finish line. Mike, who was taught not to break things, stopped.
“We were screaming at him, “drop the ribbon! Drop the ribbon!’ They finally did. He won,” Tarbert said. “He got a gold medal.”
Special Olympics now feature a wide range of sports, from traditional track and field events to volleyball, basketball, alpine skiing, equestrian, figure skating, gymnastics, powerlifting, and more.
Thursday’s event brought back many memories for Tarbert. It all came full circle as eight runners rounded Perry Street and cut into the Kroger parking lot, Sgt. Ron Anderson of the Sandusky Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol leading the way with the torch. Once the runners powered back up with snacks and water, Bucyrus Police Chief Dave Koepke handed the newly lit torch over to Tarbert.
“They’re good people,” Tarbert said of the law enforcement officers who take part in the torch run every year. “I think it’s great. It draws attention to the program, shows what can be done.”
“It’s a great experience,” Anderson said. “A helpful cause with exercise on top of it. The Highway Patrol is all about charity and giving to different organizations.”
For Koepke, a regular face in the torch run, it was a surprise to find out how involved Joy, a local woman well-known for her “Joy in the Morning” radio program and her involvement in charitable organizations, was in the foundation of Special Olympics Ohio.
“It’s a great cause,” Koepke said. “We have local Special Olympians and we are cheering them on.”
The Crawford County Chargers have been competing in Special Olympics Ohio since the 1970s and have brought home numerous championships, including dominate runs in unified volleyball from 2001-2009 and bowling from 1989-1992. The Chargers were National Champions in 2004 and finished fourth in 2005.
The Chargers will not be attending this year’s Special Olympics at The Ohio State University this weekend due to a lack of funds. They did not compete last year for the same reason.
More information about Crawford County’s Special Olympics program can be found at crawfordcbdd.org/services/special-olympics. A schedule of events for Special Olympics Ohio can be found at sooh.org.
