By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Special Olympics Missouri is a non-profit that works with Special Olympics U.S.A. to support athletes and help them achieve their dreams in various Olympic sports. Sixteen Olympic sports to be exact.
A 26-year-old Savannah man is headed to Berlin, Germany this coming June to compete in the Special Olympics World Games in Powerlifting, representing Team U.S.A. That man is Charlie Phillips, who in November, earned his spot in the games at the Special Olympics USA Team Trials in San Antonio.
Phillips had a top squat of 182.5 kilograms and a top deadlift of 227.5. kilos. He also bench pressed 130 kilos during the trials.
Melody Prawitz, Director for the North Area of Special Olympics Missouri, says Team U.S.A. only allotted for so many athletes from the state to have a chance to qualify for the world games. One of those spots just happened to be for powerlifting.
"Team U.S.A. only gave us so many slots," Prawitz said on KFEQ's The Hotline. "They give each state slots. We got the powerlifting slot. Of course, Charlie was right there on the spot. So, we got to nominate him from this area and he had to go to a couple of training camps and see if his personality works with the other athletes, if he can follow directions. So, he did very well."
Prawitz, and Phillips himself will tell you, qualifying for the World Games has long been Phillips’ goal.
"He has been waiting to go to the World Games for a very long time," Prawitz said. "He's really excited and Charlie is a 'Facebooker.' He's on Facebook and he already knows all of the other players who will be there with him. He knows his coaches. He's so thrilled. Our job is to now raise the funds to get him there."
"I've been working so hard to achieve my goals," Phillips said in a September interview. "This is one of my dreams. Ever since I started Special Olympics, I told my parents, my siblings, I said, 'One day, I will go to a World Games.'
Prawitz says a big goal now for Special Olympics Missouri is raising enough money to pay for Phillips’ travel to Berlin for the World Games this June. The World Games run June 17-25.
One of Special Olympics’ biggest benefactors in the local area is the St. Joseph Sertoma Club, whose annual Flag Project helps provide the funding needed for things like the athlete’s medals, travel expenses and more.
"I just want to say thank you to the Sertoma Club," Prawitz said, "because without their support, it'd be a little harder to get those medals and take care of the athletes. So, they do make it a little easier with their contribution to us."
Any business interested in participating in that Flag Project can contact Truman Hardy with the Sertoma Club at 816-244-9148.
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.