Day of Champions Biography

T


Day of Champions
Biography

he Day of Champions was first held in 2003. The event was created by Erich Weight of the North Thurston School District. Working in Special Education for North Thurston, Erich found the need for students with special needs to have the opportunity to compete in a setting similar to their general education peers. For most of their lives, special needs students are on the sideline cheering as their peers compete in various competitions. It was time for this group of students to feel what it is like to be cheered for. While some students with special needs have the opportunity to compete through Special Olympics, there are a great number of students who are not able to do so. The first years of this event had roughly 150 students with special needs competing in five events; Shot Put, 50-yard Dash, Big Ball, Long Jump, and Shuttle Run.

In 2007 the Day of Champions torch was passed to Justin Gurnsey and the Tumwater School District. Tumwater took this torch happily and surged forward. The first Tumwater Day of Champions saw over 300 students with special needs coming from Tumwater, North Thurston, Olympia, Rainier, Yelm, and Tenino school districts.
The 2011 Day of Champions is expecting over 450 special needs students from all eight school districts in Thurston County, having added Rochester and Griffin School Districts in 2008. This year we will have over 36 different schools competing in 14 different events. Over 100 volunteers will assist these students as they compete. The volunteers consist of Black Hills and Tumwater High School's cheer squads and leadership students, current and former Tumwater School District employees, current and former employees from neighboring school districts, and also various community members and organizations.
The Tumwater Day of Champions provides each athlete a t-shirt, medal, and a barbeque lunch. This event costs nothing to the schools that come or to Tumwater who hosts it. The only aspect that is not covered is the transportation to and from the event. We are able to do this because of generous businesses and individuals from the community who sponsor this great event. We have received donations from $20.00 up to $1,000.00 with any donation of $250.00 or more allowing the business to put their logo on the back of the t-shirt.
The Day of Champions is a truly touching and memorable event for everyone involved. Not only do the athletes rejoice in their moment to shine, the student volunteers have a rewarding experience as well. After the event many student volunteers, who typically have never interacted with special needs students, express a new understanding and appreciation for individuals with special needs.
All of us involved with the Day of Champions are proud of what this event stands for and the hard work that goes into putting it together. Please come and join us for an experience that you will not forget.