Community Corner

Special Olympics Torch Passes Through Seal Beach

Seal Beach Police officers and athletes carried the torch through the city at the end of a marathon from Chula Vista to Long Beach

It’s not hard to see that the Special Olympics means a lot to athlete Lorna Murakami.

The Long Beach swimmer bears a tattoo on her right bicep that reads “Special Olympics.”

“I like it a lot,” said Murakami. “It’s exciting. It’s fun.”

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On Friday Murakami carried the Special Olympics torch on the last leg of a relay from Chula Vista to the pyramid at California, State University Long Beach where more than 1,100 athletes will compete this weekend in sports ranging from tennis, to track, swimming and basketball.

Seal Beach native and staffer with the Seal Beach Recreations Department Chad Logsdon, 31, prefers basketball. He’s got the height for it, and he has won several gold medals at the Special Olympics over the years. Logsdon carried the torch on a run with Seal Beach Police officers and supporters from Huntington Beach to the Long Beach border Friday afternoon. The group ran along Pacific Coast Highway through Old Town and up Main Street Friday afternoon before handing off the torch at Pacific Coast Highway and First Street.

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“I do it every year,” said Logsdon. “People cheer. It feels good.”

To prepare for the torch run, Logsdon and his life skills coach Michael Anderson have been training for months, running along the beach, the jetty and the trails along Gum Grove Park.

“It’s nice to be a symbol of the Olympics,” said Anderson. “Everyone is cheering us on, and it builds Chad’s self-esteem.”

The Special Olympics have been a big part of Logsdon’s life, said his mother Cindy Logsdon.

“It’s helped him to mature, make friends, meet girls and stay physically fit,” she said.

For years the Logsdons have helped organize the social events surrounding the Special Olympics. This weekend will include a pancake breakfast provided and served by Long Beach firefighters and a barbecue by the Long Beach Police Department.

Police officers throughout Southern California have helped raise $1.2 million for Special Olympics this year through fundraisers such as the Polar Plunge and Tip A Cop, said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Adam Christin. Worldwide last year, law enforcement agencies helped raised $35 million for the Special Olympics, he added.

“None of these athletes have to pay a penny for one of the greats sporting events going on,” said Christin. “That’s why we do it.”


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