OP_071918

46 | July 19, 2018 | The orland park prairie sports
opprairie.com
Five-sport Special Olympics athlete brings home more gold
JON ZAGHLOUL
Freelance Reporter
With a large crowd packing
the Illinois State University
gymnasium, Colin
Lewis, a Sandburg incoming
junior, did not shy away
from making personal history
at the Special Olympics
Illinois state meet.
During the event’s 50th
anniversary celebration,
Lewis, who competed in
the male 16 deadlift event,
had successfully completed
a 185-pound lift. He knew,
however, that there was
more left in the tank.
“After getting to 185, I
knew I could get to 205, and
possibly more after that,” he
said.
Colin’s confident mindset,
combined with training
in physical education class
and Sandburg’s Special
Olympics program, prompted
a huge feat of strength.
With countless spectators
on edge, Colin accomplished
the unthinkable: a
205-pound deadlift and a
gold medal at the games in
mid-June in Normal.
“It felt so good to take
home that gold medal,” he
said. “The ceremony was
exciting too, because I was
standing in front of everyone,
and there were fireworks
going off...I’ll never
forget it.”
Lewis is no stranger to
the athletic limelight. He
also placed first in deadlift
and bench press during
last year’s Special Olympic
Games. He is halfway to an
attempt to win four golds in
four years in the deadlift.
He also is involved in
hockey, baseball, track and
bowling.
But lifting more than 200
pounds was a huge thrill.
“During the summer, I
do yoga to help with my
balance and breathing,” he
Colin Lewis earned a Special Olympics gold medal for
weightlifting in June.
said. “It also helps me stay
calm when I lift. Once the
school year starts, I’ll be
back in the weight room,
getting ready for next year’s
competitions.”
In addition to weightlifting
and yoga, Lewis
plays hockey for the Chicago
Blackhawks Special
Hockey team. By manning
the center position,
he maintains an important
role on the team, helping to
lead them to continued success.
Through the team’s initiatives,
Lewis skates at the
United Center once per year,
while exchanging meetings
with coach Joel Quenneville,
Brent Seabrook and
Duncan Keith.
“The coaches are nice,
and have helped me come
along as a player,” Lewis
said. “Being a Hawks fan,
it’s been really cool to meet
all of the guys.”
Lewis’s hockey skills also
have garnered awards, as
he earned yet another gold
medal, this time as a part of
the Disabled Hockey Festival
in San Jose, California.
His brothers, one of whom
is attending Ohio State University,
have propelled his
Colin Lewis (left), his mother, Kim and father, Brian, pose during a ceremony at the Special
Olympics Illinois state meet in Normal in mid-June. PHOTOS SUBMITTED
athletic interests and involvement
in hockey.
“My brother [Ryan]
played [hockey] for Sandburg
for a couple of years,
but had to quit because he
hurt his back,” Colin said.
“My younger brother [Brendan]
plays for the Vikings
hockey organization. I’m
very close with both of my
brothers, and I love them.”
Although close with his
brothers, Lewis said he is
just as close to the Sandburg
community. He was one of
three athletes to qualify for
the Special Olympic Games
and the only one to attend
the event.
“I’m so happy to call
myself an Eagle,” he said.
“I love the school. I get
straight A’s, and the teachers
are nice and helpful.
My coaches, coach Peggy
[Bryce] and coach [Ramis]
Habboub, are great people.
They know me and my
family very well. They’ve
helped me get to where I am
today.”
Lewis is also a part of
PEOPEL, a physical education
class that mixes special
needs students with other
students looking to pursue a
career path in social services.
He said he has made numerous
friends in the class.
Lewis’s impressive athletic
run, which also includes
competitive biking
and bowling, already is
equipped with an innumerable
amount of honors and
awards. By entering his junior
year of high school,
he still has two more success-laden
years ahead of
him. With the honors that
he has already obtained,
the sky’s the limit for his
athletic prosperity yet to
come.
Simply put, he has no intention
of letting up.