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  Cheers
and whistles erupted from the crowd gathered in the Fine Arts Center at
Ravenscroft School, site of the powerlifting competition for the 2007
SONC Summer Games. Special Olympics athlete, Brian Carter, of Durham County
had just bench pressed 330 pounds! The lift was his personal best!
The bench press set the tone for a terrific weekend for Carter. His dead-lift
totaled 460 pounds and he squatted 350 pounds! He earned gold medals in
each of the three events and in the overall competition!
"He was extremely pleased with his accomplishments," said Coach
Dick Landerman. "We could have done more but we stuck to our goal
of peaking in the fall when Brian attends the Special Olympics World Summer
Games in China."
Carter is a man of very few words so Coach Landerman was struck when
Carter verbalized genuine empathy towards his main competitor, Michael
Dudney of Robeson County. The two have been competing against each other
for a long time with Dudney usually emerging as the stronger lifter. Gradually
over the last few years Carter, who is larger than Dudney in weight, has
started to win.
"It would have been nice if Michael could have won one of the events,"
Carter said to his coach.
"I was impressed with Brian's recognition of the skill and hard
work that Michael has put in," said Landerman. "It was his sincere
wish Michael could have been rewarded as he had been. That is great sportsmanship
and what makes Special Olympics so wonderful."
Carter's focus is now on competing in the 2007
Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China on Oct. 2-11.
He is training three times a week and preparing for the Special Olympics
Team USA training camp in Nashville in July.
Good luck Brian and congratulations on a great 2007 SONC Summer Games!
To nominate a person to be featured in "Spotlight", contact
Lisa Pleasants by phone at 1-800-843-6276, ext. 110, or by e-mail at lpleasants@sonc.net.
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