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Sports

Brandon Sports and Aquatics Center Hosts Special Olympics Swim Event

Thirty Special Olympics athletes participated in the Hillsborough County event at the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center, where members of BSAC's Team TRIDENT, for people with intellectual disabilities, helped cheered on the participants.

 

The Olympics came to Brandon on July 14 when the Brandon Sports and Aquatics Center (BSAC) hosted the Hillsborough County Special Olympics swimming competition.

“It went fantastic,” said Tom Denham III, of BSAC. “We had the perfect facility to host the event, with a world-class pool and plenty of shade for spectators.”

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The event featured 30 Special Olympics athletes from across Hillsborough County competing in both long- and short-course events. Some of the athletes had been training since late May to be ready for the event.

“What struck today was just the socializing and sportsmanship,” said David Brandies, whose daughter participated in the event. “Win or lose, they are all cheering each other on. It is a wonderful social event.”

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All 30 athletes who competed in the event will advance to the Aug. 25 Special Olympics trial in Tampa. Winners from that event will qualify to advance to the Florida Special Olympics Games. From there, athletes can qualify for the national and international games.

“Sports for any individual are a way to learn that through dedication and hard work you can achieve your goals,” Denham said. “Those are universal concepts that anyone can use.”

Ten members of BSAC’s Team TRIDENT turned out for the event. Denham directs the TRIDENT team, BSAC’s day- and after-school program serving people with intellectual disabilities.

Brandon’s Teresa Brandies participated in the event, placing second in the 50-meter swim.

Teresa, 30, has been enjoying Special Olympics since she was 10, said her father, David. First place or last, the real message of these types of events is much deeper, David Brandies said.

“It teaches them to win and lose with grace,” said Brandies who, with his wife, Monica, has raised nine children.

Bloomingdale’s Sean Anderson, 28, walked his way to a blue ribbon, in the 15-Meter Walk through the pool, much to the pride of his parents, Kenn and Candice.

It was just the start of the day for Sean Anderson, who spent his time after the event bowling and on a bike ride.

“He was pulling me out the door to get on the bike,” said Anderson’s father, Kenn. “He participates in almost everything he can, from golf to soccer to baseball.”

Sean has been active in sports since he was a youngster. When he saw his older two sisters active in sports, “their little brother [Sean] wanted to do the same,” Anderson said.

“These events are another way for these kids to be engaged and actively involved and be able to succeed at something,” said Anderson, who 12 years ago helped launch Brandon’s TOPS soccer program, which gives youngsters with disabilities a chance to play soccer.

The Special Olympics events give the athletes a real sense of accomplishment, Kenn Anderson said.

“They get a chance to get in the water with peers, and whether they win or not, it gives them a chance to participate," Anderson said. "If you strip everything away, they are just people like everyone else, with the same desires. They are used to people saying, 'Sit and cheer,' for others. In events like this they can have people cheer for them.”

An ancillary benefit of events like the Special Olympics swimming competition is that the participants develop muscle tone, a major issue for the disabled, Anderson said.

“They have to work twice as hard to maintain muscle tone and vigor," he said. "People like my son are always active."

And Sean Anderson is not short of opportunities to stay active in Brandon, according to his dad.

“Brandon is one of the best places in Hillsborough County, if not Central Florida, to be involved in these types of activities,” he said.  

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