A Day to Shine

50th Annual Tehama County Special Olympics…

On May 5, one of the exceptional athletes of the Tehama County Special Olympics will step forward amongst their peers and lead them in a sacred oath of competition. “Let me win,” they will recite. “But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

It will be a 50-year-old tradition in the community that started with a small track and field competition at Red Bluff High School in 1976 and has expanded to a countywide production with adapted track and field events that allow for maximum participation of those with physical and intellectual disabilities. It’s a celebration of inclusion, opportunity and community pride, say organizers.

That first track meet, organized by Special Olympics Director Una Jordan, planted a seed in others that spurred expansion over the years. At this 50th annual celebration, athletes from preschool to adult from more than 20 Tehama County schools will gather in competition. Their supporters and fans will add up to around 1,000 people at their Olympic Village.

Jody Johnson is the adapted physical education specialist for the Tehama County Department of Education and has been instrumental in expanding opportunities for athletes across the county. Inclusion can look like throwing competitions using frisbees, softballs, tennis balls or shotputs. Races include wheelchair users, runners and those who need assistance walking.

Organizing students from across a large geographic area is no easy feat, yet Johnson stresses that support from area schools and organizations has always been staunch. Buses are found and athletes transported for their day to shine at the Spartan Soccer Complex in Red Bluff.

Each athlete is paired with a peer supporter from Red Bluff High School who acts as a guide for the day. More than 150 high school students sign up for the honor. “It’s a very rewarding day to volunteer,” says Debbie Hess, co-area director of the Special Olympics. “You come away with such an overwhelming happy feeling. It’s almost infectious. These athletes are just so happy to be there.”

And athletes they are, training well in advance for their events. “If you have to cancel a practice, you better have a very good reason,” says Hess, noting the ferocity with which athletes prepare. The games will have the pomp and circumstance of traditional Olympic ceremonies, with senior athletes from three Tehama County high schools carrying torches in opening ceremonies.

A highlight of the event is the robust Olympic Village sponsored by community groups that lends the event a festival-like vibe. Groups like the Red Bluff High Key Club, Red Bluff Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, and local public safety agencies come out to provide food and interactive entertainment for all. In the early days, nuns from St. Elizabeth Hospital made sack lunches for the athletes, and Hess’ mom, an early organizer of competitions, baked all the cookies served as treats.

2026 is also the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a landmark piece of federal legislation that guarantees children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education and related services. It serves individuals from birth to age 21.

The Special Olympics were founded in 1962 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver with her “Camp Shriver” held in her Maryland home. By 1968, an international competition was held in Chicago with 1,000 athletes. 

While track and field competitions are the oldest and most widely celebrated in Tehama County, they are not the only components of Special Olympics here. Over the years, basketball, softball and bowling have been added, making activities available throughout the year.

While all the events are celebrated, it’s this day of track and field that holds the community’s heart as a standout day of festivity. Championed over the years by educators who wanted more for their exceptional students, it has become an event just about everyone in the community wants to support. Because everyone deserves a chance to win and opportunity to be brave. 

50th Annual Tehama County 
Special Olympics School-Based 
Track and Field Meet
May 5, 9am-noon
Spartan Soccer Complex, Red Bluff