Diamond dreams

Athlete stands out at Special Olympics

By: Kyle Moylan
   Thunderstorms may have canceled all of the softball competition at the N.J. Summer Games last year, but Derrick Spicer didn’t allow that to ruin his Special Olympics experience.
   Mr. Spicer, a Robbinsville resident, put on a basketball uniform and represented the state of New Jersey at the Special Olympics National Games in Iowa last year. The team placed fourth.
   "I was proud that me and three of my friends got picked," he said.
   Mr. Spicer, 18, started in Special Oympics with track and field. Through Special Olympics and school, he has also competed in floor hockey, tennis and soccer.
   "I have played a lot of sports and have so many medals," Mr. Spicer said. "I have 17 golds, three bronzes and four silvers. I have a big collection."
   One thing Mr. Spicer likes better than the medals is the camaraderie of being on a team. That’s why he made the switch to softball for the Summer Games. Basketball, however, remains a personal favorite and a specialty.
   This past weekend, Mr. Spicer was playing softball for the Hamilton SKOR team that excelled in Division V play. Thirty teams took part in the softball competition and were separated into 10 different divisions. According to Della Porter, the coordinator for the softball competition, several weeks of preliminary games were played to help determine the appropriate brackets. Skill level and the age of the players were the determining factors.
   While Ms. Porter’s efforts to keep the games competitive were appreciated, most would agree it was great to see any softball at the Summer Games. It had rained at the previous four Summer Games, canceling the softball competition entirely twice and partially the other two times.
   "This year we were ready," smiled Ms. Porter. "We had Mercer County Park reserved for next weekend if we got rained out again."
   SKOR opened with a 6-4 win against Bancroft. It followed that with a 9-3 victory over TLC Black. Mr. Spicer was a standout in both games.
   "I got on base every time," noted Mr. Spicer, who also showed off some daring base running by scoring all the way from first base on a groundout as the throw to third bounced a few feet away.
   "I saw the ball get loose and I knew I had time to get home," he said.
   And he was cheered all the way home by his mother, Ellen Spicer.
   "He was the Spring Athlete of the Year for the state of New Jersey," a proud mother noted of her son’s exploits on the basketball court.
   And given a chance to play softball this past weekend, Mr. Spicer delivered again.
   "This was a great improvement for everyone," Mrs. Spicer noted of the softball competition. "We got to play."
   And whether it’s in Iowa or Ewing, New Jersey, that’s always a good thing.