By Justin Pelletier,Staff Writer

CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Fresh snow fell on Sugarloaf Ski Area this weekend, though in the bowl beside the base lodge, it was hard to tell.

Five-hundred athletes clad in fire engine red, blaze orange, lime green and aqua blue ski parkas and hats huddled together amid more falling flakes, splashing the freshly fallen blanket of white with color as the 2006 Special Olympics Maine Winter Games officially opened Monday.

Athletes from across the state applauded with glove-covered hands, creating the sound of a thundering moose herd, as they all recited the Special Olympics Oath: “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

Monday’s ceremony, the 24th at Sugarloaf and 36th overall, marked the official beginning to the two-day Winter Olympics event.

“It’s a wonderful experience,” said Lewiston Special Olympics coach Sue Basso. “Whether it’s the Winter Games or the Summer Games, you see it in school. It builds (the athletes’) self-confidence, it gives them a chance to really do something and do it well. They know, Hey this was really hard, but I’ve worked hard, I’ve done a lot of training.'”

The practices and workouts that many of the athletes use to get ready for the games are sometimes as tough – and even tougher – than some of the workouts used by traditional high school teams.

“We expect practices. You have to fulfill so many in order to go to events, you have to practice for so many hours,” said Basso. “It’s been great at building a team spirit. We are a team, we support each other.”

The Lewiston contingent had athletes registered in three of the four events – downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The fourth event is speed skating.

In some of the events, local high school and post-graduate athletes spend time with the competitors, helping them get through each race. At the cross-country skiing venue, swarms of skiers in bright yellow jackets from the Maranacook High School Nordic ski team are there to help out.

“We come and do this every year,” said Maranacook coach Steve DeAngelis. “The kids love it, and it’s great to see the reaction from some of the athletes, who recognize the kids year after year.”

“The downhill skiers, they all have a one-on-one athlete with them,” added Basso. “The kids that go to Carrabassett Valley Academy spend their time with these athletes and ski with them, too. The volunteers are just amazing.”

Other local teams competing this week include those from Edward Little and Auburn, Lisbon, Mt. Blue and Farmington, Jay and Oak Hill.

The benefits to the athletes go beyond the podium, and beyond the medals that every athlete will earn. They include a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of belonging.

“Their spirit is changed when they come up here and do something like this,” said Steve Corson, a coach with the Lewiston team who for four years was an ed tech at Lewiston High School. “They change drastically. To take them in the classroom, when you’re working on the reading and the writing and all that stuff, and to expose them to the sports side of it, it’s great. The way they smile and change, and they’re happy all weekend. In school, you’re fighting with them or it’s a discussion all the time to try and get something done, but here they just want to go, go, go.”

The games finish today with the final events and closing ceremony.