L’Observateur

Dwight Johnson beamed with pride as he recounted one of the proudest achievements in his life.

“It was my vision, my dream,” said Johnson, a Reserve native. “For us to be national champions … and it happened.”

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Around his neck was a gold medal, earned as part of the Louisiana softball team that just last month defeated all comers in the National Summer Games of the Special Olympics.

There were approximately 3,000 athletes and 1,000 coaches and delegates from all 50 states at the 2010 National Games, which is a forum for people people suffering from intellectual disabilities to compete at a high level.

Five athletes from the LaPlace and Reserve area won at the state level and embarked on a flight to Lincoln, Nebraska in search of gold and returned with just that in hand: Johnson, Louis Adams, Mitchell Hicks, Jerome Devare and Melanie Story.

The first four captured their medals as softball stars, defeating Kentucky and Minnesota in the final round by scores of 15-6 and 19-9 respectively. Meanwhile Story captured the gold in bocce doubles, while also won a bronze medal in bocce team play.

“It was fun. I beat the boys,” the shy Story said with a broad smile. “I was nervous, but I just thought about the ball and what I had to do.”

“Melanie is so competitive,” said Linda Lambert, day program director at St. John A.R.C., which aids in developing those with intellectual or development disabilities. “She makes those guys so mad when she beats them. But when she sets out to do something, she doesn’t intend on losing.”

Story plays bocce at St. John A.R.C., developing her skills to their current, very high level.

“I just liked it,” said Story.

She said her days at the nationals were very busy, extending from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and that the stay was something to always remember.

“Everybody was so nice,” said Story. “It was a lot of fun.”

For Louisiana softball first baseman Louis Adams, competition is also something of a first love. He can’t recall the last time, if ever, his team has lost — and the team has been playing together for a solid 10 years.

“We can read each other like a book. We just know each other that well,” said Adams.

Adams was recruited to play by Johnson and has cherished his role on the team ever since.

The game runs in Adams’ family, he said, and he takes pride in continuing the tradition.

“Dwight invited me to play with the team. And I love it. I’m not going anywhere, ever” Adams said. “My mom told me that my dad was a softball player a long time ago. So I said, I’ll try it. And now we come out with a gold medal.”

Adams said that playing in front of such a large crowd at the games was startling at first, but that he was able to refocus after the first pitch.

And once he and his team got rolling, the attention they received grew.

“A lot of people — a lot of women — got our autograph,” Adams smiled.

Johnson, the team’s centerfielder, said that his feeling upon winning the medal was almost indescribable.

“Oh wow,” Johnson gasped as he recalled the feeling. “We won it as a team. We made it. It took a lot of work, and it paid off.”

Hicks, who played catcher, concurred with that feeling.

“It felt really good. I really thought we’d win it, in my heart,” he said. “Everyone is out there yelling at you to ‘Catch the ball! Catch the ball! I’ve always wanted to play, and I really like it.”

Devare, the team’s third baseman, also had to deal with settling his nerves, not to mention some other outside factors.

“My goggles kept fogging up,” he said. “Once I started catching the ball, though, my nerves calmed down.”

The National Summer Games are held once every four years, and to earn your way in, you must first win at the regional level, then at the state.

Winning nationally makes you eligible to be invited to the World Games in Greece.

Devare said he hopes the team will be invited to compete in the World Games. But while the flight to Nebraska was the first time on a plane for many of the participants, Devare said he wouldn’t mind an alternate route next time.

“I’d be excited. But next time we’ve gotta fly … put me on a train,” he joked.

“Let me tell you, if you’re going to Greece, you know a train’s not gonna take you there,” Lambert chimed in.

“Ah, well,” Devare relented, with a wry smile.

Lambert said that for her group, the Special Olympics have indeed been a special event.

“They deal with so many every day struggles. To see the satisfaction that they get … the enjoyment, it’s worth so much,” said Lambert. “It makes them feel important, as it should. They’re really good, but we’d be proud of them in any event. It’s been wonderful.

“When they came home with those medals, it was a sight to see.”

One that probably hasn’t been seen for the last time.

“Now, it’s time to start training for the World Games,” Johnson said. “Like I told the rest of the team, there’s more to come.”