The Land O’ Lakes High School Special Olympics Soccer Team is heading to the World Games in Los Angeles. Bay News 9 has followed their quest for glory from the beginning.
One year has gone by since the big surprise. The team sat in the high school chorus room last July when they got the announcement they would be headed to Los Angeles to compete. Since then they’ve been hitting the turf.
“I am getting better each and every time I train,” said athlete Ordray Smith.
It’s taken a lot of sweat and tears to get to where the team is now.
“I remember last year we were all just beginners," athlete Haley Eckel said. "Now I feel like we can do a lot more than we did last year. It’s great to watch everyone grow like that."
Tuesday was the day the athletes could finally stop the countdown.
“This is extremely exciting,” said parent Adelle Ahearn as the athletes walked through a line of cheering family, friends and fans.
For parents like Ahearn it’s a day they won’t soon forget.
“It’s bittersweet," she said, as she watched her son Andrew leave on the bus. "I wanted to go with them but I’ll be leaving tomorrow so I’ll be there to see them and cheer them on."
Cheers that will hopefully carry them to a gold medal.
“This is for the win," Smith said. "I’m going to bring home the gold."
The team was able to raise over $42,000 for the trip. The opening ceremony for the competition is this Saturday. They will join teams from 177 countries.