Ben receiving his medal. The lump in my throat and the tears welling up in my eyes is a recurring experience for me at any Special Olympics event. We arrived early and Ben was not even at the bowling alley, but I was fighting back tears. Luckily Logan was with me to keep me in line - he wanted to play video games while we waited for Ben's bus to arrive. A mom crying at the bowling alley before the games even began would have made for an interesting tale. This is the first year Ben could officially compete in the Special Olympics. The school organized the practices and coordinated with the county division of Special Olympics. I am unsure how it all works, but Ben bowled today. The national anthem was played to a crowd of over 100 students, teachers and volunteers at the local bowling alley. The athletes repeated the Special Olympics Oath: “Let me win, but if I can not win, let me be brave in the attempt.” It was not the torch or a billion dollar fireworks show, b