Vance hosts regional Special Olympics games

  • Published
  • By David Poe
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The partnership between Vance Air Force Base and Special Olympics Oklahoma continued March 25 as the base hosted Cherokee Strip Area 6 track and field competitions.

More than 100 Team Vance volunteers came out to support almost 200 northwest Oklahoma athletes as they qualified for SOOK's summer games in May.

Events included various walks and runs, as well as wheelchair competitions, and shot put and Turbo Javelin throws.

For the second year, Staff Sgt. Ebony Simmons, a 71st Operations Support Squadron Airman, organized both military and civilian volunteers. Oklahoma Bible Academy students and Enid High School JROTC cadets were just some of more than 100 non-military volunteers who worked with Airmen to help make the day a success.

In her second year as a volunteer coordinator, Simmons said Vance Airmen spend almost a full year preparing for the annual event. She said her connection to Special Olympics predates her time in the Air Force.

"I've had foster children (who) have been Special Olympians," she said. "I believe in healthy competition and seeing the athletes compete and the excitement on their faces - they're happy to be out there."

One team in particular had a special tie to Vance.

George Pankonin, a retired Air Force supply officer, served at Vance during the 1980s and returned to Enid in 1991.

The father of a developmentally-delayed son, Pankonin said while Special Olympics are well-ingrained into the athlete's school regimens, he recognized that there weren't as many programs after graduation.

That inspired him to start a team called Enid High Alumni, which is made of area adults who want to maintain the team values they enjoyed in their younger years.

Jake Whinery, an eight-year Special Olympics athlete and Enid High Alumni teammate, said Pankonin's team stays busy and they look forward to the Vance qualifiers.

"We do everything - we golf also" he said, adding that his grandfather had served in the Air Force. "My friends on my team are nice, and there was a lot of support for us."

Pankonin said that Vance continues to be a great host for the Area 6 summer games qualifiers because of the military and the region's long-standing commitment to each other.

"[The relationship between Vance and Special Olympics] is strong and it gets stronger every year," he said. "Some of the athletes are children of active-duty people, so the base is helping their own, as well as the community, and that's one thing that Vance and Enid are great at -- helping each other."