Runners from Whitfield County government taking part in the 2022 Special Olympics Torch Run on Tuesday morning included (from left, front row) Kelly Dykes, Kevin Curtis, Christina Curtis, Patrick Webb, Alex Malek, Jennifer Cameron, Laura Ruiz, Amanda McCoy, Shawn McCoy, and Tammy Silvers; (back row) Ron Kirby, Wes Townsend, Jennifer Townsend, Brandon Cannon, Micah Gates, Colton Tabellion, Andrew Pangle, Vincent Schaub, Adam Spivey, Tony Painter, Cory Spence, Brook Livengood, Amanda Stewart Smith, Lisa Hughey and Nathan Center.
photo by Mitch Talley
Wes Townsend of the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office holds the Special Olympics torch aloft as he and the other participants in the Torch Run are cheered on by students at Varnell Elementary School.
photo by Mitch Talley
Varnell Elementary School second grader Rosalee Truelove waves at her fellow students as she poses with the runners in this year’s Special Olympics Torch Run
photo by Mitch Talley
After missing the past two years because of the pandemic, Whitfield County workers finally were able to hold the Special Olympics Torch Run this week.
Two dozen workers from the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office and various other departments around the county, like Juvenile Court, Accountability Court, and Public Defender’s Office, gathered at Varnell Elementary School early Tuesday morning, where students “high-fived” the runners as they made their way through the parking lot, with the torch held high.
Runners then headed for a similar meet-and-greet at Beaverdale Elementary School before concluding the run at the Murray County line.
The annual event draws attention to the Georgia State Games, featuring 4,300 athletes from across the state, including about 20 swimmers and tennis players going from Whitfield County and Dalton City.
“We’re excited to go,” Special Olympics Local Coordinator Lisa Hughey said before Tuesday’s Torch Run. “They practice really hard. They love each other, they love going to be together, and they love to compete so they’re excited to go.”
The State Games, as usual, will be held at Emory University over the Memorial Day weekend.
Dalton will also be the site of another torch run, this one for the USA Games that will start in Illinois and finish in Dalton on May 26. After gathering at Dalton City Hall that afternoon, supporters and a group of Special Olympics athletes will be walking and running to Lakeshore football stadium for a program.
Five local athletes and a coach will then be competing in bowling and swimming at the USA Games in Orlando, Fla., on June 5-12, with more than 4,000 athletes, 10,000 volunteers, 1,500 coaches, and 125,000 fans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia slated to be on hand.