March 30, 2008 — There were strikes, spares and misses, but Gov. John deJongh Jr. was a hit with Special Olympics bowlers in a quiet visit to the V.I. Christian Ministries bowling alley in Bolongo Saturday afternoon.
"I just saw it advertised, so I thought I'd come by and see them train," said deJongh, who noted that he's not a good bowler.
"I figured they could show me a thing or two," he added laughing.
"I love that he's here to see us play," said an enthusiastic Debbie Hercules. "We need the governor to check out things."
Some 20 adults and kids competed in week four of an eight-week tournament, sponsored by the Virgin Islands Special Olympics (VISO) chapter. Archie Jennings, chairman of the VISO said the bowling program has been ongoing for several years, as a complement to the one-day Special Olympics competition held annually.
"What we want to do is try to get other activities such as the bowling occurring throughout the year so we have more than just the one day event," said Jennings, in a phone interview.
A special education teacher who had accompanied some students to the lanes Saturday said the more activities, the better.
"This develops sportsmanship. These kids usually don't excel at academic things, so we need to find something else," said Annabelle Balgua. "Look at their faces when they throw the ball!"
DeJongh confessed that more needs to be done for the special-needs population.
"It's an area we don't focus enough on," he said. "I think they're out there by themselves and it's going to require some education on our part…to improve the system."
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