Volunteers' efforts help Special Olympians

From helping the Special Olympians put on their bowling shoes to cheering for them as they bowled, the Spirit of Sport volunteers bonded with the athletes at the Special Olympic bowling tournament last November. \nThe bonding experience at the tournament helped the volunteers focus on what they are working toward for this weekend's Spirit of Sport events, said Christine Geary, the assistant director of special events for Recreational Sports. \n"It just kind of hit home what I've been working so hard for," Nicole Howell, president of Spirit of Sports, said. "I was motivated by the fact that anything and everything you do for these athletes, they take to heart." \nOne of main goals of Spirit of Sports is to provide leadership opportunities for IU students, Geary said. \nHowell began planning the event in August; the rest of the committee began to form in September and October. The planning committee includes students majoring in Health, Physical Education and Recreation, geology, design and telecommunications. \n"It's a cross-section of IU students," Geary said. "It's important to make sure that you have a diverse program that will appeal to all different students."\nAs president, Howell said she spends 30-40 hours a week forming committees, running meetings and developing leadership opportunities. That does not include the time she spends as a personal trainer, consultant, group exercise leader and full-time senior. \n"I had no idea what I was getting into," Howell said. "As far as getting started, it was kind of a slap in the face, and here it is."\nTo help new committee members, Spirit of Sport members participated in workshops about how to communicate with outside groups and how to program events.\nHowell used her training in programming to involve the Special Olympic athletes more in Spirit of Sport. \nHowell said because the athletes love to be cheered on, she developed a buddy program in which a volunteer cheers for a Special Olympic buddy during the basketball and bocce ball events. \nThe Olympians are going to match up with members of the diving team to judge the diving tournament. After each participant dives, the judges will decide what the score is, and the Special Olympians will hold up cardboard signs with bold black numbers displaying the judge's score. The idea is to let them help, Geary said. \nWith an event as large as Spirit of Sports, problems are bound to arise. Geary said on top of setting their agendas and determining what they want to do, the volunteers have to learn how to solve frequent difficulties.\n"I don't solve the problems," Geary said. "They're just like, 'Tell us the answer!' But they have to figure it out themselves."\nFreshman Chris Pierson, director of aquatics, spends 25-30 hours a week coordinating the aquatic events and finding ways to make them unique. He said the committee tries to keep the budget low to donate as much money to the Special Olympians as possible. \nThe volunteers are enthusiastic about their goal of $10,000 this year, Geary said. They wanted to aim higher, but Geary wanted them to be more realistic because fewer people are aware of the event this year. Staffing problems forced it to be canceled last year.\nBut Howell said Spirit of Sport is here to stay. \nBecause the committees are interconnected, it is important for volunteers to get along, Geary said. The group tries to do something fun about once a month, such as going bowling or throwing pizza parties. \nKimberly Ruff, director of marketing and sponsorship for Recreational Sports, called the student and staff relationship "really unparalleled."\n"It's really neat to see the person develop and get to know them," Geary said. "You see them in the hall now, and it's high fives and 'How're you doing?"