SEBASTIAN — It is said that a champion is defined not so much by the measure of their athleticism but by the size of their spirit. By that definition, every athlete taking part in Florida Special Olympics state aquatics championships, Oct. 6 and 7, measured up in spades.
Indian River County Recreation Department and Treasure Coast Sports Commission hosted the games held at North County Regional Park in Sebastian for the seventh year in a row. The competition brought out more than 335 athletes and an army of more than 400 volunteers from counties all over the state.
Two of Indian River County’s own represented the community strongly during the games.
Amber Fallo, of Vero Beach, took second place in the 50-meter breast stroke event and Gabrielle Ioffredo, of Sebastian, also medaled with a second place finish in the 25-meter freestyle swim.
Both teammates wore unbeatable smiles after placing so well in their respective events.
“I think I did very well,” Ioffredo said.
Though swimming is fun, putting forth a winning effort can be hard work, she said.
“You just have to go as fast as you can,” Ioffredo said. “Sometimes, you get out-of-breath and you can’t keep up.”
Her fellow competitors tried their best, she said.
“It’s a good day,” Ioffredo said. “I’m very proud.”
Fallo agreed that the championship games were both fun and challenging.
“I did my best,” Fallo said.
Training and conditioning are very important if a swimmer wants to improve their times, she said.
“I trained a lot for this,” Fallo said. “It felt real good to come in second.”
Fallo’s mother, Lynne Gagnon, said she loves the excitement and sense of accomplishment each participant feels after an event.
“I’m extremely proud of her,” Gagnon said. “She’s worked hard for it.”
Fallo’s training included swimming lessons every Saturday morning and practicing the skills learned, she said.
“Some of the swim team kids from Sebastian River High School assist in training,” Gagnon said.
It’s the volunteers and community support that makes the games so successful, she said.
“The community really steps up to the plate,” Gagnon said. “Every year the community is anxious and excited about helping out.”
When the competition is over, the sense of achievement continues long after the last event, she said.
“We have a board at home that has all of her medals on it,” Gagnon said. “Every time she sees that board it reminds her that she accomplished those goals.”
For Indian River County aquatics director Fawna Gallant there was very little “downtime” once the games began. Her job was to facilitate the athletes and keep the events moving.
“I’m just amazed by the numbers of people who are out here today,” Gallant said. “This is our seventh year doing it and it gets better every year.”
Luckily, hundreds of volunteers from around the state and local community worked alongside staff to keep the championship going strong, she said.
“It just takes so many volunteers,” Gallant said. “After seven years, we start to get worried it’ll get ‘old’ and people won’t be as interested.”
The hardest part, logistically, is keeping up with the momentum of the events, she said.
“The pace is extremely fast,” Gallant said. “We all love it, though. It’s better to be busy than not to be busy.”
Indian River County Recreation Department assistant director Mike Redstone said the championship is one of the best events he has been involved with.
“It’s going awesome,” Redstone said. “We’ve had a great turnout.”
Special Olympics events bring out the best in everyone involved. This is especially true of the competitors themselves, he said.
“These athletes train as hard as any other swimmer,” Redstone said. “We’ve got a lot of spectators who come out to watch and cheer them on.”
The camaraderie between the participants is very high, he said.
“A lot of them see other athletes at other events and competitions,” Redstone said. “They are out there cheering each other on, too.”
The flow of emotions and spirit is palpable during the games, he said.
“It really does take a lot of family support,” Redstone said. “It is equally important to have the community behind it, too.”
Treasure Coast Sports Commission, Sebastian River High School and St. Edwards School were all indispensable in making the event happen, he said.
“Also, the working relationship between the county and Special Olympics is a solid one,” Redstone said. “We have a first-class facility here and we’re glad to be able to host them.”