On August 22nd, Hillsborough County Special Olympics held its regional qualifier for swimming, Special Olympics Aquatics. Dozens of athletes were there with their families and coaches at the YMCA in New Tampa, and there were dozens of volunteers, including about twenty guys from Jesuit Key Club.

We arrived well before any athletes to prepare the pool area and for training. While a few guys set up the sound system, the rest of us were assembling the bleachers for the parents and the awards stage. After a while people started to arrive, and we were taught how to time the different events, direct traffic, and bring the athletes to their lanes. For a while there was little to do, so we socialized with the families of the athletes. They were all very grateful that we had volunteered our time to their children, and some asked us to volunteer again at the state level.

There were up to four lanes for the swimmers, and three of us were assigned to each lane. We recorded their times and helped them out of the pool. Very few of the races were close, and some swimmers struggled to finish. Near the end of the day, the coaches, who were high school students on swim teams, joined the athletes in the pool and participated in relay races. Although this was the qualifier to go to the state, we could clearly see that it was not about who was the fastest swimmer. Instead, it was about camaraderie and having fun. Neither the athletes nor their families were concerned about their times; they were just happy to be there.