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Here in Rhode Island, the executive director of the local Special Olympics says his phone and that of the organization's public relations director have been "ringing off the hook" since early this morning, after President Obama Thursday night rated his bowling skills at the "Special Olympics" level on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
"Unfortunately, these statements get made a lot," McGovern said from North Kingstown on his cell phone this morning as he drove to work. "There are a lot of misconceptions about the athletes and our program, and this time it's happened at the highest level. We're not pleased by them. It does give us an opportunity to try to put a positive spin on the thing."
And if President Obama is looking to do some more bowling, he "could bowl in the Special Olympics," McGovern said. "He could be a partner for bowling."
McGovern explained that the president could fit into the kind of unified bowling program that the local Special Olympics has just recently launched. The program has matched 32 high school sophomores from eight schools around the state with Special Olympians ages 15 to 25. The teams are split into various divisions based on their abilities, so President Obama could be placed with other bowlers with a similar skill set, McGovern said. Each high school student is paired up with a Special Olympian, and they are bowling partners for the season.
Your Turn: Are you offended by President Obama's remark about the Special Olympics?
McGovern said Obama's comment that he bowled "a 129" doesn't mean anything to him.
"No matter what you bowl, there's a place for you," he said of how the Special Olympics teams are created.
The program has about six teams in its various divisions, which are created according to ability. For example, bowlers who average scores of about 80 would be grouped into one division, those with scores of about 100 would be in another division, and so on.
McGovern acknowledged the president isn't the only one out there who makes such remarks about the Special Olympics. He said he hears comments like that all the time, particularly at sporting events when fans are upset with a coach and think the person isn't doing a good job. People frequently suggest the coach should go coach for the Special Olympics, he said.
"It's something that's kind of an off-the-cuff thing, but it has negative connotations," he said. "Our athletes don't like it. Their families don't like it."
He added, "It's an easy reference, I think," but the Special Olympics doesn't want a "lousy coach," he stressed.
"We want good coaches," he said. "If you're not good at a sport, the misconception is you should be in Special Olympics. That's not the case. We have very, very good people -- people who run marathons, and people in wheelchairs who have to wear flotation devices. It's the whole gamut."
