The beauty of Special Olympics is that if you hang out with an athlete long enough, you will come to realize the athlete oath (Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.) is something they take to heart. Let’s focus on the first part of this statement, “Let Me Win,” as it relates to an athlete that has the ability to captivate his teammates with his words of encouragement and positive spirit.
Cedric Fletcher of Nashville is a multi-sport athlete who plays point guard in basketball, quarterback in football and, at Summer Games, he was locked in on volleyball.
"I'm most excited for volleyball and we're gonna win," said Fletcher. "We're gonna win and go to the final round today. I'm gonna make sure of that okay.”
Fletcher's statement was reminiscent of Joe Namath’s guarantee to win the Super Bowl back in 1969. He certainly had “Let me win” down but what about the other half of the mission statement?
Fletcher is a person that people gravitate towards and his excitement for others is kinetic. Even when he is not the person winning and his fellow athletes are the ones being brave in the attempt, Fletcher is there as the voice of validation and a cheerleader for all who try. If an athlete crushed a huge personal milestone there, he was with a hug, words of affirmation and a huge fist bump.
Now, if an athlete struggled and felt as if they did not perform well, he was the first to uplift them. Fletcher's first words before his interview were of him speaking about another athlete.
“That man is strong like a football player," Fletcher said of a fellow athlete.
No introduction of himself just a look right in my eyes and a loud validation of a fellow athlete.
Thank you, Cedric Fletcher, for being the embodiment of the athlete oath.
Photo credit: Jason Tegos
