Community Corner

Special Olympics 'Flame of Hope' Travels Down Main Street Westminster Wednesday

Local law enforcement officials, Special Olympics athletes and supporters will converge on Main Street Westminster Wednesday for the annual Special Olympics Torch Run.

Groups of local law enforcement officials will partner with Carroll County Special Olympics athletes Wednesday to run, bike and walk from the outskirts of the county to Westminster as part of the annual Special Olympics Torch Run.

Law Enforcement officers representing the police agencies throughout Carroll County will be on the run on Wednesday, June 5, beginning at 8 a.m., taking part in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Relay for Special Olympics Maryland.  Their mission: to escort and protect the Special Olympics ‘Flame of Hope’ as it makes its way toward the opening of the 43rd Anniversary Summer Games at Towson University, June 7 through 9.

Westminster Police Chief Jeffrey Spaulding previously told Patch that he looks forward to this event each year because he enjoys working with the athletes and their families.

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"It's the interaction with the athletes and families that really brings me back," Spaulding said. "They (athletes) are so appreciative and enjoy interacting with law enforcement. They are a part of our extended family."

Spaulding, who missed Carroll County's Torch Run two years ago because he was in Greece helping to prepare for the International Special Olympics, said he has enjoyed watching many athletes grow into adults.

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"I see so many athletes I've met over the years who are now adults and still participating," Spaulding said. "Going to the Games is like a family reunion."

This year marks the 28th Anniversary of the Maryland Torch Run, a movement that began in 1986 with a handful of officers raising $5,000, and has grown into a true year-round effort that involves thousands of officers and raised $3.3 million in 2011, according to a news release. 

Since its inception, the Torch Run has taken very seriously its role as “Guardians of the Flame”, and the Relay is an important and celebrated part of every Special Olympics competition.

Six legs will depart from the corners of Carroll County to carry the Flame of Hope to Westminster. Those legs will begin at the following locations and tentative times:

  • Hampstead/Manchester Leg – Departing the Manchester Police Department at 9 a.m.  Runners will include Hampstead and Manchester Police Department officers and staff, as well as Carroll County Special Olympics Athlete Woody Higgs, Ralph Gemmill and Shannon Smith.
  • Taneytown Leg – Departing the Taneytown Memorial Park at 8:30 a.m. Runners will include the Taneytown Police Department, the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office and members of the Carroll County Crisis Response Team. Carroll County Special Olympics Athlete Tammy Holibaugh will also be participating.
  • Mount Airy Leg – Departing the Mount Airy Fire Department at 7:30 a.m. Troopers assigned to the Westminster Barrack of MSP will be running this leg, along with Carroll County Special Olympics Athlete Matt Hamilton.
  • Union Bridge/New Windsor Leg – Departing the Union Bridge Fire Department at 9 a.m. Runners will include the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Carroll County Detention Center and the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office. Carroll County Special Olympics Athletes Cody Watters and Seth Watters will also be participating.
  • Torch Run Trek (walking leg) – Departing the Carroll County Farm Museum at 10 a.m.  Walkers will include representatives of the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office as well as a number of employees from Carroll County Government and the City of Westminster.  Carroll County Special Olympics Athlete Riley Snyder will also be participating in the Trek.
  • Final Leg – All runners from the various legs of the event will participate in the Final Leg of the Torch Run from McDaniel College to the Westminster City Hall.  Carroll County Special Olympics Athlete Sabrina Sabol will also be participating in this leg of the event.

The local portion of the Torch Run Relay is part of a much larger effort.  Statewide, the Maryland Torch Run Relay consists of four different legs – Eastern, Western, Central and Southern. Throughout the week, thousands of Torch Run volunteers will cover hundreds of miles, eventually converging on Towson where the individual flames will be united in the Final Leg Ceremony. Then officers from around the state will travel the final 2.5 miles to the Opening Ceremony at Towson University. 

It is there that the Flame is handed off to the Special Olympics athletes who have the honor of taking the final lap with the torch and then lighting the cauldron and officially declaring the 2012 SOMD Summer Games open. 

The 43rd Anniversary SOMD Summer Games are set for June 7 to 9 at Towson University.  During the weekend, 1,400 athletes from around the state will go for gold in aquatics, athletics, bocce, cheerleading and softball.

For more information about Special Olympics Maryland, the Torch Run Relay and the 2013 Summer Games, contact Jason Schriml at 410-242-1515 x118 or visit www.somd.org

Most of the information in this post was taken from a police department news release.


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