Mike Van Zee,Special Olympian

Mike Van Zee Special Olympian Written by Marilyn Gould

《特殊奥林匹克运动员迈克·范·齐》 作者：玛丽莲·古尔德

Humble Beginnings No one likes being bullied. And Mike Van Zee was no different from anyone else. He didn't like being teased. He didn't like being laughed at. He didn't like it when kids tried to egg him into a fight. He knew he was small for his age. He also knew he wasn't as smart as some kids. He didn't think he was strong enough to stick up for himself or stand up for his rights.

卑微的起点 没人喜欢被欺负 迈克·范·齐也和其他人没什么两样 他讨厌被人捉弄 他讨厌被人嘲笑 他讨厌别的孩子怂恿他打架 他知道自己比同龄人瘦小 他也知道自己不如有些孩子聪明 他觉得自己不够强壮，没法保护自己，也没法维护自己的权益

That was before Mike entered the Special Olympics program. Special Olympics is a worldwide organization founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Mrs. Shriver became a champion of children and adults who had difficulty learning and who were slow in developing. She saw that they were often in special schools or no school at all. That meant they often had no way to become active in sports or school athletics. Many people thought that people with learning challenges would not feel the personal rewards of competition.

这都是迈克加入特奥项目之前的事了 特奥会是尤妮丝·肯尼迪·施莱佛创立的全球性组织 施莱佛女士一直为有学习障碍、发育迟缓的儿童和成年人奔走发声 她发现这些人往往只能上特殊学校，甚至根本没学可上 这意味着他们通常没有机会参与体育运动或校园体育活动 很多人认为，有学习障碍的人无法体会竞争带来的成就感

Camp Shriver. Eunice Shriver didn't agree. She believed that everyone should be given the opportunity to excel. In June 1962, she invited 35 girls and boys with intellectual disabilities to her home in Maryland. She offered them the opportunity to try out a variety of physical activities. She called the event Camp Shriver. It was so successful that it became an annual event. Each year, it became more and more popular. By 1968, there were more than 300 camps just like Camp Shriver where kids participated in different sports.

施莱佛营地 尤妮丝·施莱佛不认同这种说法 她坚信每个人都该拥有超越自我的机会 1962年6月，她邀请35名有智力障碍的男孩女孩来到她马里兰州的家中 她给他们机会尝试各种各样的体育活动 她把这个活动叫做“施莱佛营地” 这次活动大获成功，后来成了一年一度的活动 一年年过去，它越来越受欢迎 到1968年，已经有三百多个和施莱佛营地一样的活动，孩子们可以参与各类体育运动

That year, Mrs. Shriver worked with others to organize the first official Special Olympics. The event took place in Chicago, Illinois. Participants came from 26 U .S. states and from Canada. They competed in floor hockey, aquatics, and athletics. Mrs. Shriver proudly announced that the Special Olympics would be a regular event. Its purpose was to give people with intellectual disabilities, the chance to play, the chance to compete, and the chance to grow.

同年，施莱佛女士和其他人筹办了第一届正式的特殊奥林匹克运动会 这届赛事在伊利诺伊州芝加哥举办 参赛者来自美国26个州，还有加拿大 他们参与了地板曲棍球、水上项目和田径项目的角逐 施莱佛女士骄傲地宣布，特奥会会成为定期举办的赛事 它的宗旨是：给智力障碍群体机会，让他们参与、竞争、成长

Special Olympics Games Now, more than two million children and adults compete in the Special Olympics Games. Special Olympics has both summer and winter games just like the Olympic Games it was named after, all free of charge. Athletes from around the world come together for these events. The 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, held in Ireland, drew more than 6 ,500 athletes from 150 countries.

特奥运动会如今，已有超过两百万名儿童和成年人参加特奥运动会 和它得名的普通奥运会一样，特奥会也分夏季和冬季赛事，所有项目全免费 来自世界各地的运动员会聚一堂参与这场盛会 2003年在爱尔兰举办的世界夏季特奥会，吸引了150个国家的六千五百多名运动员参赛