Nov. 19 marked a special day for someone very special. In fact, a gold medal was brought home that very night, and Bobby Bender was all smiles. Bender is a sophomore here at Pleasant Valley who is known, by many students, as a “cheerful” and “always smiling” student. Negative remarks are never heard of regarding Bender.

Bender took part in a very honorable event known as the Special Olympics, “the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 5.3 million athletes and Unified Sports partners in nearly 170 countries,” partaking in the bowling tournament. Bender has also participated in track & field and skiing along with bowling in previous years. Furthermore, he has some experience under his belt.

Bender spent quality time preparing for this day with Mr. Weaver, each day strengthening his skills to become the best he could be. The event itself was one to remember, as Bender claims “it was like a disco party.” His hard work paid off as the final results came; it was announced that Bender received a gold medal placing first for the state of Iowa.

Bender was more than happy to have his family by his side not only at the tournament, but in preparation as well. Bender also explained his time in Cedar Rapids, stating, “I was happy to bowl. The weather was great that day.” He really loved the blue skies, as the beautiful Saturday made the experience all the more enjoyable. Before long, Bender plans on returning to the Winter Special Olympics held in Dubuque, where he will compete in skiing. He couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity once again.

Bender’s amazing spirit and talent took him to the top, and he is hungry to compete again in just a few short months. His next step will be putting on his skis and hitting the slopes.