Cheers from the crowd filling the stadium at Harding University for the Arkansas Special Olympics Summer Games Opening Ceremony won’t be the only sounds welcoming athletes and their families to the games in Searcy. The roar of motorcycle engines will add to the excitement as hundreds of motorcyclists plan to roll into the stadium to cheer on the athletes.
“It’s the motorcycle community coming forward to support these wonderful athletes,” said Melissa Toomer, shop foreman at Sunrise Motorsports and one of the organizers of the ride. “If you’ve ever been to one of these ceremonies, they just come unglued when they see the motorcycles. The motorcycle community decided to do something to show them that they mattered.”
On Thursday, bikers from various
organizations, areas and backgrounds will gather before the opening ceremony to be a part of the event. Sunrise Motorsports in Searcy will be one meeting point. Toomer said riders will start to gather at the company’s location at 800 Truman Baker Drive around 3:30 p.m., and there will be entertainment and food before they head to the campus.
“At 5:30, we’ll start to get everyone ready to go, and then kickstands are up at 5:45,” she said.
Sunrise Motorsports has been involved in the Special Olympics ride for more than 15 years, General Manager Dustin Jones said, and the ride has always been well-received by the biker community.
“The community is one of my favorite parts,” he said. “You see all different diversities coming together in one spot for one common goal.”
Of course, that goal is to bring smiles to the athletes’ faces. Toomer said that last year, about 350 riders showed up for the ceremony, and this year, the goal is to get at least 500 to come out for the kids.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from,” Toomer said of the participating riders. “You’ll see people who barely putt along, and you see your lawyers and your doctors on the expensive Gold Wings, the Slingshots or the Can-Ams. For that one afternoon, nobody cares what group you belong to or who you are. It’s just amazing. … People take vacation days to do this.”
Toomer said the athletes often check out the bikes before the opening ceremony starts, and the bikers are usually generous in allowing the athletes to climb onto the bikes.
“It’s all about the athletes,” she said. “They actually anticipate seeing the motorcycles every year. They know they’re going to get Mardi Gras beads — which these guys buy out of their own pockets. It’s become a big part of the event.”
Participants in the ride will receive a Special Olympics pin. Sunrise Motorsports is also selling armbands for $5 each. All of the money goes to Special Olympics, and Sunrise’s goal is to sell 500 armbands.
For those who live south of Searcy and want to participate, a group will meet at 4:30 p.m. at Bruno’s Powersports, 5835 Arkansas 5 in Cabot. The bikers will leave by 6 p.m. to ride to Harding University.
The games will take place Thursday through Saturday. Those who want to volunteer
at the Arkansas Special Olympics Summer Games can go to the games and find the volunteer tent near the concession stand at Harding University’s First Security Stadium. For more information, including specific volunteer needs, visit www.specialolympicsarkansas.org/uploads/1/6/6/8/16687598/summer_games_volunteer_needs.pdf.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.