After the pneumonia, Bryan was afraid of exerting himself too much. Encouraging him to walk at a fast pace while practicing when we were on our September beach vacation received worried looks and an argument against speed. So, I didn’t push. He needed to find his rhythm.

Another concern was that he was not practicing his racewalking except for weekly practices with the coach and team. In the past, Bryan would get out and walk around his apartment complex with his roommate. New neighborhood = no walking.

My expectations were low when we arrived to watch him compete after church on Sunday. I was just glad that he was motivated to get “back in the saddle again” after his illness. He had already finished the 3000K racewalk by the time we arrived. The coach reported that he bested his practice heat time by EIGHT minutes! That was a great thing and, yet, that might be a bad thing in that too fast a time by an athlete could result in being DQed. (Disqualified) .

He was soon called up to the starting line to compete in the 1500K. We watched him disappear into the copse of trees at the Falls Township Park course and prayed for the best. When he emerged on the opposite end of the field through another group of trees, he was stuck in a bunch of six athletes. Yelling for him to pass the others did not yield results. Nevertheless, he bested this time as well by four minutes.

After a provided pizza lunch he moved to the front of the pavilion to hear what medals he would receive. The eyes closed, hands in prayer position. I’m sure he was praying fervently for the win as he always does.

He was thrilled to win the gold medal in the 3000K. Not so thrilled to come in second place with the silver medal, but he accepted it well. When he turned to shake the hand of the girl who had beat him by a nose, she had disappeared. He shrugged, but I was happy that the good sportsmanship lessons he had learned long ago were still a part of his competing mind.

Anxious to get back to his house to watch the Eagles, we put the game on the radio and listened to Merrill and Mike’s commentary on the way home. When I turned around in the car to ask him a question, I was surprised to see that he had shed his Special Olympics uniform and donned his Eagles shirt and hat. Ready for the game!

But we had one stop to make which I knew he wouldn’t mind. A traditional ice cream treat – something that we started when he began his Special Olympics career at age eight. Stopping at Dairy Queen, all three of us ordered Buster Bars and gobbled them down quickly.

Some things never change. Like ice cream treats. Like wanting to compete in athletics. And like giving thanks to God that Bryan is now on the other side of his recent health scare and ready for action once again!

Praying for the win!