Jayme Salisbury
Orange Grove celebrates the achievement by Jayme Salisbury, who was selected by the Tennessee Special Olympics to compete in the Winter Olympics in Gatlinburg. Mr. Salisbury brought home two gold medals in snowboard slalom and the snowboard giant slalom.
The games took place on Jan. 26-28 in Gatlinburg, where 300 athletes from across the state competed in four Special Olympic sports.
Mr. Salisbury currently participates in programs at the Rossville Center, one of Orange Grove’s Georgia sites.
He has been involved in Special Olympics since he was in first or second grade, competing in soccer, bowling and flag football. Before the Gatlinburg competition, he had never participated in snowboarding. In fact, when he competed, it was only his second time ever snowboarding- his first time was just the day before during practice sessions. Although Mr. Salisbury came away from his first practice hesitant to compete, he told his mom, Kristi Salisbury, “I’ll try better tomorrow.”
“The word that kept coming to mind as I watched Jayme compete was ‘tenacity.’ He was extremely nervous about the competition, but his courage to keep going won him two gold medals. When he won his medals, he raised his hand up and yelled ‘rock’n’roll!’ He was just over the moon,” said Ms. Salisbury. She testified to how his participation in Special Olympics over the years has boosted his spirits and infused him with confidence as he achieves things he has not done before.
Officials said, "Special Olympics is part of Orange Grove’s enrichment services, which is a vital aspect of Orange Grove’s mission to recognize, support and celebrate the qualities of the individual."
Ramona Pickett, the Special Olympics coordinator at Orange Grove, said “The individuals we support have the same goals and dreams as everyone else. It is essential that we provide opportunities for everybody to play sports, regardless of their skill levels. Special Olympics offers a fantastic chance for them to work as a team and experience a true sense of achievement.”
At Orange Grove, athletes have the opportunity to compete in a variety of sports, including bowling, track and field, flag football, basketball, bocce ball, swimming and volleyball. Mr. Salisbury continues to put his athletic abilities to use and is currently on Orange Grove’s basketball team. He has already been invited back by Tennessee Special Olympics to compete in the Winter Olympics again next year.
For more information about Orange Grove’s Special Olympics, visit https://www.orangegrovecenter.org/special-olympics.