The stage is set for the opening ceremony on the 2025 Special Olympic Games Noord -Arikika Softball Championship.
Just past the midfield wall are special Olympic softball teams in front of the Veldhuis. Twelve delegations will soon march in Devon Park in total, indicating the start of the parade of athletes. The Binnenveld is well maintained and the lines are freshly painted. The box of the batter is crispy. Just on the inside of the first basic line is the color guard that the Oklahoma City police represent. There will soon be a viaduct, but first it is the time of Cameron Calvert to shine.
Calvert’s Cue to start singing will be when the color guard tips their flags.
The national anthem at sporting events has become a staple in sports culture. The conversations around who will sing or how their voice will sound have become a hot topic. Calvert was nervous, but it was a dream of him since her childhood. His voice was mature and it was reflected about the sound system while his hands and body ran synchronously with his voice.
“It was a huge honor for me,” Calvert said about singing the national anthem. “The first moment that I really told me to sing the national anthem for people was something in me, just told me” just go for it “and inspire people.”
Applause broke out when Calvert loved the last few chords of the song. The boiler and flame of hope were lit. One of his dreams was accomplished.
“It was not only a great opportunity for him to show his talents, but it was also a very unique experience for everyone in the stands that evening to see and say:” Wow, he has a crazy good voice “,” Paige Martin, director of marketing and communication of Special Olympics Oklahomasaid. She put his name forward for the role in the opening ceremony.
Calvert started in 2015 with Special Olympics. He had no idea what he was doing and he had not played any sports since he was small. But growing up, he and his mother, Latrisha Littlejohn, wanted him to be part of something. They wanted him to find a community. “When I get around with my friends, I feel free to be myself, to be myself, to be crazy and to have fun with them,” Calvert, laughed, dripping while he adds: “They sometimes go on my nerves.” However, that decision played an important role in shaping who he became.
“I have always told Cameron from the moment he was young, otherwise it is just that, otherwise, and for him to be the best Cameron he can be, whatever that was,” his mother said. “The [Special Olympics Oklahoma] All-Stars allowed him to do that. To be part of people in the community who have similarities. “
His head coach, Roger McDaniel, repeated those statements and said that Calvert is the type of teammate you want in a team. His attitude and personality just brighten up everyone’s day.
“He is so cheerful and he is just a pleasure for our team and he is an excellent athlete,” said McDaniel. “He plays softball” basketball And Flags Football For us. “
During the opening of Bracket opening, Calvert entered the game like a pinch runner. Squatted in the attitude of a sprinter, he left and walked the bases before he stopped in third place. The sun reflected from his silver helmet. Every time he came to the home plate, heelled his fist up and pumped the air into the celebration.
“He’s fast, he’s really fast,” McDaniel said about Calvert’s ability to run the bases.
The All-Stars then played a competitive tournament, deserved the silver medal, but they never lost sight of what the weekend was about. Regardless of what the score was, they met the other team at the hill of the pitcher. A representation of sportiness and unity.
For Calvert, the experience of not only singing, but playing in Devon Park has been an eye-opening event. Calvert, nor his mother realized the size of the tournament. They did not compile the documents that there were teams from the United States here. But now that they could see the big whole, Calvert has set his sights on an even larger stage.
‘I want the [Oklahoma City] Thunder -games, I want to bring it to the next level of singing the national anthem, “said Calvert, while his mother added:” I want the NBA championship or the NFL or the USA games. “
Just like his eyes focus on the next base and push himself to achieve it, Calvert will sprint to the next phase that inspires the people around him.
#Special #Oklahoma #Athlete #Verbijsts #singing #speed