(February, 12, 2005) -
IdealLives.com posted a review of Spirit Courage and Resolve, A Special Olympics Athlete's Road To Gold.
Success can be an elusive experience for a child with special needs. For some -- experiences of frustration and struggle are so much a part of their life that they simply give up the fight. One notable exception to this rule is Special Olympics.
Started in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics began in Chicago, Illinois as a day camp for people with intellectual disabilities. Today Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
Spirit, Courage and Resolve is the story of Tom Lambke and his son Bryan and their journey to win special Olympic gold in the 2003 World Games in Dublin, Ireland.
I found this to be a engaging book and a quick read. In it, Tom describes Bryan's life from his birth and the discovey that he had Down syndrome through his joyful childhood and love of sports to his ultimate journey as a young adult athlete all the way to the World Games and a gold medal in Unified Partners Bowling. This isn't a piece of high literature, but it is a fun book. You walk away feeling like you've spent a fun evening in the Lambke home and listened to all their favorite stories of family vacations, special honors, and surprising events.
