Special Olympics

E very year, police officers make the trek on foot throughout the streets of Greater Los Angeles, carrying torches of hope and inclusion for developmentally disabled athletes. In a show of solidarity with those who prove that there really is no barrier to sportsmanship, the annual torch run for the Special Olympics is a very public display of how athleticism — and the human spirit — can take many forms. It's something we can all root for, and a cause we should all remember to support throughout the year, not just on the day that police close down routes to escort the torches through Southern California.

Ronnie Moreno , clutching a gold torch, grinned as the flame was lit Wednesday afternoon just outside Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria near the border of Burbank and Glendale. The 52-year-old had just been handed the torch from by a member of the Burbank Police Department, and within seconds, he was off to run 5.5 miles through Glendale, surrounded by an entourage of Glendale police officers - some running, others following on motorcycles. Moreno, who was representing the Glendale Assn.

Glendale police officers on Tuesday served meals to patrons at the California Pizza Kitchen on Brand Boulevard, collecting tips along the way that were donated to the Special Olympics Southern California. The annual Tip-A-Cop event raises funds for sports training for Special Olympics' athletes with intellectual disabilities. The organization's Tri-Valley chapter provides a year-round sports program - which includes basketball, aquatics and track and field - for athletes in Glendale, Burbank, Agoura, Calabasas and other communities.

Darleene Barrientos Some 700 athletes will hit the fields of Glendale High School on Saturday to compete in the Special Olympics Southern California Tri Valley regional games. "We're going nuts, if you want to know the truth," said Jan Maseda, the Tri Valley's regional director. About 700 athletes ranging in age from 8 to 80 will compete in basketball, tennis, bocce ball, aquatics and track-and-field-type events. About 100 more children, 6 months to 7 1/2 years, will compete in the event's "Mini-Meet."

Amber Willard GLENDALE -- Several Glendale Police officers will be trading in their boots for running shoes this week when they join the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics through the city. "Rather than just giving a donation, we wanted to be part of the Torch Run," said Officer Sue Shine, who organized this year's team of 15 runners. The Glendale Police Officers' Assn. is donating $300 to the Special Olympics. The Torch Run started earlier this month and will pass through the city Wednesday on its way to Long Beach, where the Southern California chapter's Summer Games will start Friday.

National Charity League Inc., Glendale Chapter's Class of 2009 chose to assist at the Special Olympics of Southern California during the Summer Games in Long Beach as the group's chapterwide project for 2006. Tenth-grade Ticktockers created and oversaw the game and activity booths located in the Olympic Village on Saturday, June 17, with each girl donating at least six hours of volunteer time toward the preparation and supervision of the project. Ticktockers and patronesses from the other grade levels worked a minimum three-hour shift either at the track and field events or at the game booths in the Olympic Village.

Alecia Foster NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- "My name is Joseph Vartanian and this is my back," the athlete says, looking over his shoulder at the camera. "When I race, that's all you're gonna see." Those lines -- featured in a new television commercial for communications company Cingular Wireless -- have brought Vartanian much attention since it first aired about two months ago. People on the street have recognized the 24-year-old Glendale resident, he said.

GLENDALE — More than one torch was carried through Glendale Wednesday as Special Olympics athletes and their supporters jogged down the middle of busy streets flanked by a police motorcade. While nine developmentally disabled athletes took turns carrying a torch from the west to east end of the city, Glendale Police Officer Sharon Kim ran with a torch of her own. Six months ago, longtime special athlete John Smith succumbed to cancer at 41. Kim was his basketball coach and ran Wednesday's 5.5-mile route wearing his jersey and carrying the torch of his memory.

Glendale Police officers issued traffic citations, warnings and a little chicken parmesan on Wednesday. The food service was part of the Glendale Police Department's annual Tip-A-Cop event at Milano's Cucina Italiana, in which more than a dozen uniformed officers and police volunteers served patrons for a few hours in exchange for tips that will benefit the local chapter of the Special Olympics. It was the fifth consecutive year the charity event was held at the restaurant and for some diners, walking into a room full of officers was a welcome surprise.

LA CRESCENTA - Ryan Muir let out a yell for all of the athletes at the CV CAN Games to hear. Muir had just finished a throw in the shot put competition at the Special Olympics qualifying event and was as thrilled as any other athlete, no matter where his shot put landed. He had reason to celebrate. He walked away with an award, as did all of the other athletes competing at the games Saturday at Crescenta Valley High. “You have to realize that 40 years ago, these guys never left the house,” said Sherry Netherland, Muir's shot put coach from Westside.

Ronnie Moreno , clutching a gold torch, grinned as the flame was lit Wednesday afternoon just outside Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria near the border of Burbank and Glendale. The 52-year-old had just been handed the torch from by a member of the Burbank Police Department, and within seconds, he was off to run 5.5 miles through Glendale, surrounded by an entourage of Glendale police officers - some running, others following on motorcycles. Moreno, who was representing the Glendale Assn.

LA CRESCENTA - Ryan Muir let out a yell for all of the athletes at the CV CAN Games to hear. Muir had just finished a throw in the shot put competition at the Special Olympics qualifying event and was as thrilled as any other athlete, no matter where his shot put landed. He had reason to celebrate. He walked away with an award, as did all of the other athletes competing at the games Saturday at Crescenta Valley High. “You have to realize that 40 years ago, these guys never left the house,” said Sherry Netherland, Muir's shot put coach from Westside.

The 2013 Senior Class of Ticktockers from National Charity League Glendale culminated their six years of volunteer service during the 62nd annual Senior Presentation, themed "Dancing in the Moonlight. " As each of the 27 Ticktockers was introduced and completed the promenade around the ballroom of the Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena, a long list of accomplishments was read by emcee Debbie Cox, immediate past president of the Glendale chapter. The young women served their community by giving time to philanthropies such as Twelve Oaks Retirement Lodge, Salvation Army, Ascencia, Special Olympics, YWCA of Glendale, American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and others.

Glendale police officers on Tuesday served meals to patrons at the California Pizza Kitchen on Brand Boulevard, collecting tips along the way that were donated to the Special Olympics Southern California. The annual Tip-A-Cop event raises funds for sports training for Special Olympics' athletes with intellectual disabilities. The organization's Tri-Valley chapter provides a year-round sports program - which includes basketball, aquatics and track and field - for athletes in Glendale, Burbank, Agoura, Calabasas and other communities.

Burbank and Glendale police officials on Wednesday carried the Special Olympics torch on behalf of thousands of athletes participating in the 2012 Summer Games this weekend. The annual jog is part of a law enforcement tradition known as the Torch Run, which kicks off the start of the games on Saturday at Cal State University Long Beach. Officers escorted the athletes, who have intellectual disabilities, along Glendale and Burbank streets before connecting with their Los Angeles counterparts.

LA CRESCENTA - Whether they placed first or last, there was a smile on every face of the 300 athletes that traveled from all over Southern California to Crescenta Valley High Saturday to compete in the CV CAN Games, a Special Olympics qualifying event. Olympic gold medalist and the third annual CV CAN Games Master of Ceremonies Rafer Johnson, who helped found the Special Olympics in California in 1969, said the most important thing about Saturday was giving the athletes the opportunity to compete.

The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene. CV CAN GAMES SET CV CAN — the non-profit La Crescenta-based Crescenta Valley Committed to Athletic Needs organization — will present the third annual CV CAN Games on Saturday at Crescenta Valley High with roughly 150 Special Olympics athletes from the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and Glendale and Burbank areas set to compete. After an 8 a.m. registration period, Olympic gold medalist and California Special Olympics founding father Rafer Johnson will open the games as its master of ceremonies at 9 a.m. before the games really get going 30 minutes later.

Wednesday afternoon's Special Olympics press conference happened exactly the way Glendale resident Patrick McClenahan envisioned. McClenahan, chairman of the Los Angeles Bid Committee, was joined by dignitaries, athletes, politicians and celebrities at a victory reception at Staples Center as the Special Olympics International Board announced Los Angeles would host the 2015 Special Olympics World Games. "We are thrilled and honored to be selected as the international city to host the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games and look forward to showcasing the remarkable skills and inspiring passion of Special Olympics athletes," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at the press conference.

After losing 29 pounds due to a month-long battle with depression, Ronnie Moreno was eager to get his energy back to participate in Wednesday’s annual run in honor of the Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games this weekend. Moreno, a Glendale resident and client at the Glendale Assn. for the Retarded, said he had been struggling to eat a solid meal because he was depressed. But participating in the annual torch run relay — which spans cities across the region — has helped Moreno, 50, take his mind off his depression and focus on his jogging, he said.

E very year, police officers make the trek on foot throughout the streets of Greater Los Angeles, carrying torches of hope and inclusion for developmentally disabled athletes. In a show of solidarity with those who prove that there really is no barrier to sportsmanship, the annual torch run for the Special Olympics is a very public display of how athleticism — and the human spirit — can take many forms. It's something we can all root for, and a cause we should all remember to support throughout the year, not just on the day that police close down routes to escort the torches through Southern California.