South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Special Olympians receive special arrival in Orlando
Special Olympian Laura Beth “LB” Atwood arrived Saturday morning at Orlando Executive Airport to thunderous applause.
“Best day ever,” she’d say later, and who could quibble with LB?
The swimmer, 35, from Lebanon, Tenn., had just flown for free from Nashville to City Beautiful in a private jet — her first plane ride ever, mind you — strolled into a welcoming hangar across a red carpet lined with peppy Windermere High School cheerleaders and an adoring throng of other volunteers, which included maybe the greatest Tennessee Volunteer of all time, Peyton Manning.
Katy Perry’s “Firework” thundered from giant speakers, reminding all to “Make ‘em go ah, ah, ah, as you shoot across the sky.”
“It was fun,” said Atwood as she huddled with her coach Brenda Vroon and teammates for a photo with Manning.
The celebrity QB was chosen to serve as honorary chairman of the flight event, dubbed “Special Olympics Airlift.”
He high-fived athletes and quizzed some about their sports, which included gymnastics and flag football.
This is what Joe Dzulak said he envisioned four years ago when he pitched Orlando for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.
“Red-carpet treatments, arrive in style,” said Dzulak, president and CEO of the national sports competition.
About 800 of the estimated 5,500 athletes and coaches expected to take part in the week-long competition in Central Florida arrived Saturday aboard a flying caravan piloted by volunteers, recruited and organized by Textron Aviation, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas.
About 120 private flights, originating in 28 states, were scheduled to bring athletes to the business jetport off Colonial Drive.
More than a dozen swanky jets landed in a light rain over a 90-minute period, some from as far way as Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Textron employees served as official greeters on the runway.
With noisemakers and hoots, they celebrated every group that stepped on the tarmac as if each was Orlando’s favorite.
“We get to set the tone for their arrival into the games,” said Kriya Shortt, a Textron executive.
The operation also served a more practical purpose.
While many athletes will arrive by car or commercial flight, for others, the drive is too far and a plane ticket too expensive.
“Transportation to the USA Games is the most expensive part of participating for every delegation. Having our customers donate the use of their aircraft to get athletes from their home state to the games is a significant savings and investment in the athlete’s experience,” said Stephanie Harder of Textron Aviation. “We all know that commercial air travel right now is difficult from a scheduling and from a safety perspective.”
Many of the pilots will fly again June 12 to return the athletes to their homes.
“I love the chance to help someone out,” said Seth Brewer, 41, pilot for Jeff Martin Auctioneers, adding his boss feels likewise.
Based in Hattiesburg, Miss., Brewer brought a group of Special Olympians from Little Rock, Ark.
“This is fun for me,” he said. “I mean, I got an excuse to fly an extra day.”