JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Under the glaring sun, the athletes took their places on the track, cheeks shiny with sunblock. Their muscles tensed as they readied themselves for the sound of the starting pistol. With a bang, the athletes were off, competing in the 100-meter dash during the 2016 Special Olympics Washington summer games.
Despite the brutal heat, nearly 2,000 athletes competed in the 3-day event on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which began June 3 with the lighting of the ceremonial flame, followed by two days of competition.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord has played host for the statewide competition for over 40 years, five of which Genia Stewart, Special Olympics head coach and coordinator for the JBLM Tigers team, has participated in.
"I love coaching because the athletes really come out of their shells," said Stewart, "They realize that they can do anything, and it's like they're different people. They gain so much confidence."
Stewart, an army spouse and mother of two, has a lifetime of experience with special needs children.
"We noticed our son was developing a little differently around age 8," said Stewart. "He didn't look you in the eyes when he talked to you. Things that kids could do at an early age took him a little longer to learn. I have to come up with new ways to teach him things that I learned the normal way."
Stewart's husband was deployed often, so Stewart decided to homeschool her children in order to provide a more stable learning environment.
"It's the army life, you get used to it, you make friends who are here," Stewart said. "Homeschooling helped a lot especially with the moving around. It was easier to keep up with school work."
Stewart and her husband, who retired last fall, have been stationed at JBLM for the past nine years. She continues to work at the sports office on base where she helps coordinate the youth leagues as well as coaching the Special Olympics.
"I wanted my son to experience things that other people do, so he knew he could still do sports as well," said Stewart. "It's brought him out of his shell and in the last six years he has participated, he's been much more personable, and he even talks to adults more than kids."
Donovan Gerg, 25, a participant in this year's summer games, has been on the JBLM Tigers team for the past three years.
"I swam a relay with my friends and then I swam a breast stroke and butterfly and freestyle," said Gerg.
Stewart, and the other coaches of the Tigers team have worked with the special needs children of military families on JBLM to help train them for the games.
"My mom and coach Genia have helped me reach my goals," said Gerg. "All the coaches are great and I'm very proud to be here."
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