Little Olympian

A 9-year-old will compete in the state's Special Olympics finals, following the lead of his medal-winning Olympian father.

[Times photos: Mike Pease] Kaleb Dees throws a ball in preparation for the state Special Olympics finals in Kissimmee this month.

By DAVID PEDREIRA

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 16, 2000

UNIVERSITY NORTH -- Kaleb Dees smiles when he runs, a wide grin that shatters the image of sports as a business.

Kaleb doesn't run for future Nike endorsements or college scholarships. He runs because his father ran before him. He runs because it is fun.

"I want to run," Kaleb says while stretching his hamstrings on the track at Greco Middle School. "I'll be like my dad."

His father, Tony Dees, won a silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Kaleb, a 9-year-old with Down's syndrome, will probably never match that kind of speed.

But he will match the pride and satisfaction any athlete feels when he takes to the track this month at the state's Special Olympics finals in Kissimmee.

Kaleb runs the 50-meter dash at Greco Middle School.

Kaleb is the youngest of 134 Hillsborough County athletes heading to the two-day event at Osceola High School, which begins April 28.

He qualified by finishing in the top three in the 50-meter dash and the softball throw at the county finals, held at Durant High School.

For Kaleb's mother, Tina Roberts, the medals are a small part of the Special Olympics.

The non-profit event, which is held in states and counties across the nation, gives people with disabilities the realization that they can do virtually anything, Roberts said.

"I think it's good to give these kids somewhere to go and something to do," Roberts said. "Kaleb was really amazed to see the other kids and adults in wheelchairs who could participate."

Two or three days a week, Kaleb practices the 50-meter dash and the softball toss with his mother, who separated from Tony Dees eight years ago and raises Kaleb as a single parent.

Like any other athlete, the Lewis Elementary School student tends to complain about the aches and pains associated with training.

"I want to sit down," Kaleb said Tuesday after running several sprints. "My legs hurt."

Laurie Chmielewski, competition director for the Hillsborough Special Olympics, said county athletes ranging from 9 to 64 years old practiced all year for the local and state matches.

The Special Olympics improves the physical fitness and social skills of the athletes, she said.

"It gives them a chance to socially interact with their peers and make their families proud," Chmielewski said.

Although Kaleb does not see his father as often as he would like, he constantly watches videos of his feats on the track, Roberts said.

The glory of victory is not lost on him.

"We get ribbons and medals," he said, when asked why he likes competing so much.

-- David Pedreira can be reached at (813) 226-3463 or pedreira@sptimes.com.

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