Special
By JIM BULGRIN
The warm brass fanfare of the
Olympic March rang from the gym's
loudspeakers. Into the hot ring of
lights bounced two dozen wrestlers,
hands held high to acknowledge the
crowd's accolades, and they capered
around the red mat.
Thus began a very special sporting
event last weekend: the Invitational
Wrestling Tournament for the spe-
cial schools of Washtenaw County.
Rather than spotlighting future
world-class athletes, this tourney
was simply a blue-ribbon opportunity
for some mentally-retarded students
to have fun.
From the handshake of the light-
weights until the final mock match
between the coaches, the High Point
gym echoed with exuberance. Cheer-
leaders, a videotape machine and
coaches on their knees exhorting the
exhilarated wrestlers ,added to the
excitement.'
THERE WAS A freedom to the
boys' grappling embraces. The lack
of well-developed hold and escape
routines only made the joy they took
from their balanced struggle more
evident.
"Isn't Joe magnificent-looking out
there!" said his teacher, Joey Lab-
rie, watching from the bleachers.
"His body is really together athlet-
ically,"
Joe, clad in togs and helmet, was
prancing like a colt, letting the event
ripple through him. He bested his
opponent more by dogged persist-
ence than through skill or power. He
eventually took a first place.
"I'M GLAD to see him win,"
Labrie said. "The boys were flexing
their muscles all week. This is
excellent for them."
One lad was helped to the mat from'
a wheelchair. His opponent, embrac-


kids lex
ing the handicapped foe, fell on his
knees and they grappled with arms
alone.
One fine match pitted'Dennis from
St. Louis School against Mike of High
Point in the 125 lb. class. Two broad-
shouldered boys, they fought with
abandon for one inconclusive round.
Finally Dennis corralled the bronck-
ing Mike long enough for a decision.
No team records were kept. Names
and figures are a kind of litany in our
sports world, but these smiling gladi-

muscles for fun

"WRESTLING IS another chance
for our students to benefit from
competition," he said. "But you'll
find better quotes about Special
Olympics in their pamphlet."
Cooper had his own notion of the
program's worth, however.
"I think real sportsmanship means
a delight in using our bodies and
realizing that our opponents are as
involved in a contest as we are. Well,
there is more of that sportsmanship
here than at a U-M football game,"

=V V,

I think real sportsmanship means a delight
in using our bodies and realizing that our
opponents are as involved in a contest as
we are. Well, there is more of that sports-
manship here than at a U-Mfootballgame.'
-Doug Cooper,
special student coach
. . . . . ;Y''i:: '+"'" :iitti V Y:it{ii: : : y.:..:;:{:.'Y:t i . ., .

enter a program in the high school. If
they are sports-minded, they will be
coached by Nancy Cooper, who is
Doug's wife - and his opponent this
year in several sports.
Chelsea's students score higher in
the intelligenceratings, and are.
classed in the so-called "educable"
range, being capable of learning
many academic skills.
"YOU'D THINK this means my
kids would always beat Doug's, but
it's a matter of coaching," Coach
Cooper said. "I knew nothing abut
football, but he had worked out plays,
so they beat us pretty soundly.
"I taught in normal classes, but I
couldn't relate to teaching about
Magellan's voyage; not very, vital
stuff. We are teaching these special
ones basic living skills. It's easier for
me to see the importance," Ms.
Cooper said.
In addition to teaching living skills,
briefing adolescent boys on sexual
expression and conducting the school
band, George Sieglin is also the gym
teacher at St. Louis School.
A PRIVATE boarding school near
Chelsea, St. Louis accepts boys with
all levels of mental and emotional re-
tardation. Sieglin's low-keyed ap-
proach to competition has inspired
his team, to judge by their strong
tourney showing.
"I talked to the boys about clinging
onto the women on the staff, and tried
to work them just on wrestling
holds," grinned Coach Sieglin.

The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, November 8, 1977-Page 5
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ators were already known by their
fans - Steve, Larry, Tim, Curtis,
and any statistic would have been
unnecessary. They proudly wore
their blue ribbons.
DOUG COOPER, coach of the High
Point team hosting the tourney, has
been largely responsible for organiz-
ing wrestling as an official sport for
the SpecialOlympics.
"We feel no one is too handi-
capped to be included in some kind of
competition," Coach Cooper said,
sweating from his earlier mat-side
effort.
"It's all low-keyed. We stress the
hand-shaking and getting to know
your opponent rather than merely de-
feating him." He smiled, greeting a
basketball class entering the gym'
and relaxed his strong blonde arms.

he chuckled.
HIGH POINT, lying west of Ann
Arbor on an expanse of land fronted
on Wagner Road, is the fruit of much
effort by many, mental health agen-
eies countywide. It has some of the
most complete facilities available to
the trainable or profoundly retarded
person anywhere. The string of
beautiful brick buildings is indicative
of the recent legislative surge that
has helped establish the right of
every special citizen to an education.
The npeinal dnts at Chelse an n

_ _ I rrilir r rl rii rri l rA r

Death toll in
flood its 38

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(Continued from Page 1). ,
potential for destruction.
Five years ago, Congress approved
an inspection program aimed at avert-
ing similar disasters. But only enough
funds were made available to inventory
the nation's dams and none have been
inspected, a spokesman for the corps
said }n Washington:
Rep. Leo Ryan (D-Calif.), chairman
of the House environment subcommit-
tee, said the collapse could have been
avoided "totally, completely, absolute-
ly" if the inspection program had been
followed.
"THESE DAMS are like a loaded
shotgun pointed at the people down-
stream," he said.
The dam had been built in 1937 to
provide the college with water and elec-
tricity but in recent years had not been
used for that purpose. The 80-acre lake
was used as a recreation area by
students at the tiny, Protestant, non-de-
nominational campus operated by the
Christian 'and Missionary Alliance of
Nyack, N.Y.
Searchers using heavy equipment
tore apart the piles of trees, boards and
shredded metal yesterday, looking for
the bodies of two men still missing.
Some students went home. Others

were housed in a church in Toccoa,
about two miles away.
"GOD HAS A REASON" for causing
the tragedy, said Mrs. Jim Weiss, a
cook on the campus. She and her
husband, a student, lost all their belong-
ings, but they and their four children
survived.
"We see sunshine today and we're
starting over," said Weiss.
"I know that it is God's college," said
Dale Griffis, 22, a ministerial student
from Albion, Pa1 "So therefore, God
will take care of his people."
ANOTHER STUDENT, Janet Knopp,
said she was "ready to go back to
school and start over."
"I just thought the falls were beauti-
ful," said Miss Knopp, 18, a nursing
student from West Haven, Conn. "I had
no idea of any danger."
But some students had been worried
about the dam.
"Some people felt the dam should be
looked into," said Lenie Rasor, 21, a
senior ministerial studernt from Salina,
Ohio. "Usually once a year there was a
small overflow, but nothing like this.
But we're ready to come back and start
over again."

I

Youth gets life term
in 'TV murder trial
MIAMI (AP)-Ronny Zamora, 16, In his brief sentencing remarks,
convicted of murder last month despite Baker noted that a juvenile court had
his claim that television drove him to considered the case serious enough to
violence, was sentenced to life in prison, forward it to adult court.
yesterday with no possibility of parole ZAMORA, a Miami Beach high
for 25 years. school student, admitted killing his 83-
Circuit Judge Paul Baker, overruling year-old neighbor, Elinor Haggart,
defense motions to upset the conviction when she surprised him and an accom-
or at least be lenient, also sentenced plice as they ransacked her home last
Zamora to 53 years on - companion spring.
charges of burglary and assault. Looking on ;silently from the side of
"He is sick ... suicidal," said defense the courtroom was Darryl Agrella, 14,
attorney Ellis Rubin, who had argued who faces the same charges.
during the trial that,Zamora was driven Zamora's family sat behind him, his
insane by an overdose of television mother Yolanda crying softly during
violence. He urged Baker to withhold Rubin's final plea for leniency.
sentencing and instead commit Zamora THE TRIAL attracted world atten-
to a program for youthful offenders. tion for the novel defense argument that
RUBIN EVEN presented petitions Zamora killed while temporarily in-
from Zamora's schoolmates urging toxicated by violence he had seen on the
leniency. television detective shows he habitually
Prosecutor Tom Headley, however, watched.
said the law on first-degree murder
clearly mandated a life sentence with The defense has said it will appeal.
no parole for 25 years. The only alter- As during the trial, television and still
native to life was the death penalty, cameras recorded the proceedings.
which he had not sought.
| EL JAYS GIFTS