"There's a huge lesson in Special Olympics, and here's the way I see it and express it. There are special athletes on the end line and they're ready to run the 50-meter dash. There's a first place, second place, third place, and then on down to fifth or sixth place. Now they all participate in their own style--all kinds of styles. But in the end, the kid who's last is probably two or three minutes behind the field. And here's this kid, struggling down, who's trying to stay between the lines--he finally gets to the end line. That kid gets the biggest applause, and that's backwards--that's backwards!
"In Special Olympics, there's a recognition of getting the most out of what you've been given! And I think that's a great lesson of Special Olympics. It focuses on people where they are."
Carl Erskine, former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who played in several World Series, and father to Jimmy Erskine, a 50+ year old man with Down syndrome who has a long history of involvement in Special Olympics
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