VALDOSTA — Cullen Brown competed Thursday in his first Special Olympics at the new Miracle League field.

His mother, Lee Brown, said the event makes the athletes feel included. 

“I worry about his quality of life,” Lee Brown said. “It’s important to me that he has a good quality of life and he lives life to the fullest.”

The Special Olympics is made for children and adults with special needs, and hundreds of Special Olympians came to Valdosta this week to compete in the Youth and Adult Spring Special Olympics at Freedom Park.  

Students ages 8 to 21 from five area counties competed in a variety of sports at the event Thursday. The Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority hosts the spring Special Olympics event each year.

All the games featured friendly competition in track and field, softball and various developmental sports. 

The new Miracle League complex held its grand opening Saturday.

Tammy Crosby, local coordinator for Special Olympics Georgia, said the field allows athletes to focus on playing the games and not worry about tripping or falling.

She said the field is more important than just this event. It’s about the future and all of the events that will make the athletes feel included.

“This will allow the special-education teachers to come out on a daily basis,” Crosby said. “They can come out and have a picnic. This is much bigger than a baseball field.”

Crosby said the field will be a prototype for other organizations around the country. She said other organizations will come here and say, “We want to be like Valdosta.”

Lee Brown said the Miracle League field says a lot about the community in Valdosta. It shows that the community cares about individuals with special needs, and they don’t want to make anyone feel left out.

“There are tons of volunteers out here, and it’s great to see people willing to come out and help,” Lee Brown said.

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256