9 ATTITUDE THEME MUSIC www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015 Los Angeles is hosting the biggest sporting event of 2015 ` the Special Olympics World Summer Games. CHEERING 6500 athletes from 177 countries. STARTING GUN FIRES Fire up! Yaaaah! CHEERING It's about friendship, respect and personal achievement. You know, many of us are reduced to tears at these events, in part because we see such extraordinary human beauty. I mean, that's a good thing. It's just that we don't want it to end with emotion, we want the emotion to drive actions. ALL: Kiwi! 36 athletes will represent NZ. For me, it's to have fun and try our best. Come on, Kiwis! Go, NZ. Go, NZ! (LAUGHS) Go, NZ! They're here to win, so straight into training. Chest, chest, chest, and finish. Down. Good. Was it good? NZ strongman Grant McKenzie is confident. We're the force that's gonna be reckoned with, yeah. < And how are you feeling? N` Uh, well, not nervous. Uh, I was probably a bit nervous when I was on the plane just for the long flight. But, no, I've got my feet on the ground here. I'm pretty excited now, eh. Want this bar to come straight up. When you go, you keep on getting more power, more power, more power. You know. Angles and balance for Grant. So we make sure that our angles are the best possible angles for him to lift at, over the shortest possible distance. Bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger. Finish. Down. Spot on, bro. Grant's got three events ` deadlift, squat and bench. Press. Rack. Good. (EXHALES) Much better, eh. Elbows underneath the bar, so when you` so when you drive, all these things are in line. So if your elbows are out of alignment, becomes all arm-y. You wanna bench from your back. And the way to do that is to keep all this up tight, eh. Keep it up tight. < That's it. Stay up on those shoulder blades. < Chest up. When I get down, like, under the bar, I'll, kind of, be sucking all the air in and stuff like oxygen and that. If you haven't got, like, oxygen and stuff, you'll probably faint too. Yep. Start. Press. That'll be easy. Good one. Yeah, you got it, eh. You got it. At school he was overweight and hid in the library ` until he found the gym. I'm really looking forward to meeting all the other athletes ` a lot are coming from all around the world ` and making new friends and just going out. Just, yeah, wanting to enjoy myself and have lots of fun and excitement. It's business time. (CHUCKLES) Halfway, Hui. Middle. JD, middle, middle. The Kiwi squad are training at the University of Southern California. Stay up. Stay up. JD. The whole city really embraces these games. Local college players have shown up to give the basketball team a run-around. Bradley Garner is a swimmer, long jumper and runner, but it's the team sport he loves. We came here today for a practice game, just for the build-up for the tournament coming up. < How are you feeling about that? Well, um` Well, I'm looking forward to it. The two of you have gotta start playing together. You've gotta have one person putting the pressure on at halfway, OK? So, Hui, when we start playing defence and bringing the ball up, you gotta be here. OK, nice and strong. Where you need to be, JD, is here, all set to go, OK? So whichever way the ball goes, I wanna see you hustle to that ball as quick as you can. Make sure you keep that aggression. Knock those guys out of the way. You just were hugging that guy last time he went through, OK? Yeah. Yeah. If you wanna blow a kiss, you can do it after the game, not during it. LAUGHTER OK, let's go. Team on three. One, two, three. ALL: Team! The players come from all over NZ. Been lucky enough to have four camps now, before we came across here. But really, that's two days at a time, and now we're talking about being away for three weeks. Some of the biggest improvements actually come in the period while we're away. Cos that's` you know, they do come together as a team over that period of time as well, so it's great to have them here and actually under my control, as well. (CHUCKLES) Grr! That's it. Keep going, keep chasing. That's it. That's it. Stay with him. Stay with that ball. Let him stay in there. Get him. Knock him. Knock him. That's it. Be aggressive in there. Come on. If it was, um` If one of the other players trying to get the rebound, I always try and sprint hardest I can to the middle, trying to get to the other end to try and get to the layup to score. It's been a long time coming, so we've been training really hard for this moment. Um, yeah. < Tell me, what sort of training's gone into it? Um, really hard training. Really aggressive training, as well. Keep it moving. Easy passes. < Oh, nice pass, Zach. It's all about giving these guys an opportunity they wouldn't otherwise have, so there's a lot of learning that takes place. One part of it's basketball skills, but the other side of it's very much life skills for these guys, as well. It's socialising with other teams. I don't think they can really comprehend what over 170 different countries actually is. And so they're going to be seeing countries they've never heard of, and basketball teams, and they're just gonna be amazed when we get to the opening ceremony. I don't think, again, they can understand what 85,000 people in a stadium, what that noise is going to be like. One, two, three. ALL: Kiwis! MAN WHOOPS MAN: Let's go. SPLASH! We're gonna practise our touch-and-turns. Turn, fast off the wall. Use those strong legs to push yourself fast. Streamline off the wall. SPLASH! < That was a bit of a belly-flop, wasn't it, Matthew? (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) < How's your chest feeling? Ready, go. Monique Irvine has never been far from her mum's side, yet she's coping better than coaches expected. I've been working on diving, tumble turns and picking up speed. That's a nice turn, but I think we can have a stronger push off the wall. < Use those strong thighs of yours, OK? I saw a squirrel and it was cleaning itself, cos it had its little front paws up, cleaning, by its little mouth. Tumble turn at that end, backstroke back. But you gotta get those arms straighter. Nice and straight. Special Olympics promotes inclusion. That goes for coaches too. I could say I've had a bit of a colourful lifestyle. Got into a world of being a biker, and... Just stepped away from that as well, after a while. They make you feel like you're part of their family. They don't ask any questions, they don't worry about anything ` just what you are right there at that moment. And that's what I like. I like the feeling they give me, which is a good feeling, a feeling I don't think I've had in a long time. Very sharp. Your turns are looking a lot better. You swam` or are swimming ` really well. Just keep up the good work, and pretty sure we'll all come out on top. I have fun, and I've come by myself over here. And I have` try my best, and try to get medals. Aiming for golds. If not, I'll be happy with it anyway. We try and aim for our best times, our best finishes, and try and beat our PBs, which we are aiming for to try and beat. And we want people to encourage other people to do their best so we can aim and get us a gold in the relay. < Stop blushing. Maria, stop blushing. WOMAN: OK, guys, let's go. Go for lunch. Well, before we came, I was on a strict diet, like, each day having porridge. And less bread. No pies, no nothing. With diet, we've got a team rule that there's no fizzy drinks. It's all about the athletes making healthy choices, and a few reminders along the way. I'm trying new different stuff each day when I'm here. Like, uh, turkey. Turkey burger. Um, tried a hamburger. American hot dogs. Athletes get a lot of confidence out of sport; but also being away, meeting new people, and just being in the big, wide world. We know that people with intellectual disabilities are isolated. And we equally know, without a doubt, that contact makes for change. Faster. Ooh, stop. In the jungle we commence. (CHUCKLES) (BRAYS) 'Exposure to, familiarity with, friendships among people with and without intellectual differences 'is the secret of change.' < What's down there? INSPIRING MUSIC Even if you're not taking part, it's overwhelming. 30,000 people volunteer to help. Half a million come to watch. This is the biggest event in LA since the 1984 Olympics. Today at these games, these athletes are going out to be their best through sport, and they will take what they learn in that playing ground back to their country and be stronger, better people. CHEERING, APPLAUSE ELECTRONIC MUSIC STARTING GUN BOOMS The basketball's playing in the home of the LA Trojans. OVERLAPPING VOICES, APPLAUSE 24 teams are divisioned in a round of quick-fire games. CROWD GASPS WHISTLE BLOWS, PLAYERS CALL The Kiwis make division two, the highest a NZ team has ever made. Well, it's the start of the basketball world games. And so far, it's absolutely amazing. And plus, pretty much overwhelming, but it's all good. Parents are encouraged to keep their distance, giving the athletes the chance to speak for themselves. As a mother, you can't help but be anxious and worried ` is he gonna be safe, and all those sorts of things. But he's doing really really well. The highlight is travelling all over around the` LA. Gone to Long Beach, Venice Beach, and coming straight to here. Opening ceremony. And now playing here, basketball at the Galen Center, can't get any better. INSPIRING MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES At home, they're used to fixed routines. But at the Games, they have to get used to flexible scheduling. For some it's a challenge. A lot of our athletes are highly autistic, and they like routine. To be part of these Games, they've got to react in minutes. You know, change of routines, change of plans. Being able to change their routines and not be so rigid, I guess, helps them grow by understanding that not everybody's on the same routine as them, and they need to be prepared, I guess, for a` for a change. I'm gonna cry then` You won't cry. I will. Pick it up. I can't move. You say, 'Excuse me, please.' It's a chance for parents to see their kids really shine. No one else in our family's gonna represent NZ. (CHUCKLES) No one. (LAUGHS) She's been training for it. She's not representing, you know, Monique, it's our club, Howick Pakuranga and NZ. Monique has always had an anxiety problem with being away from me. She wouldn't go out or go about or do anything on her own. Since she was selected for this, she has grown up, she has developed, she has become an adult, you know. She can do anything. FUNKY MUSIC < Go, Monique! A bit nervous when I got into the water. Then I got used to the temperature. And then I hold on like a little polar bear, and I gripped it, and then I pushed off in a big streamline. STARTER BEEPS SPECTATORS CHEER INDISTINCT COMMENTATOR ANNOUNCEMENT PA: Big round of applause for all our athletes. I was in the 50m backstroke. I felt nervous at the beginning, then I got over my fears. And I won a g` a silver medal. The relay team are after a medal too, if only they could remember which stroke they need to race. Yeah, we've worked out that Sherryl's a bit of a mother, I guess, of the little team that we've got there. She's going first, so she'll be reminding the others as they swim what their stroke is and how many they're going to be swimming. < Yay, guys! (CLAPS) That was a hard training just before. So we're gonna kick some arse before we really compete. Relay team. < Relay team? Yes, come... Should do good in the relay. < What stroke are you doing? Doin' freestyle. PERCUSSIVE MUSIC WHISTLE BLOWS SPECTATORS CHEER, APPLAUD MUSIC CONTINUES MUSIC CONTINUES SPECTATORS CHEER MAN: Kiwis! The team take two seconds off their personal best, finishing fourth. Yeah! It was fantastic. We were trying to push it, we were trying to bring the gold back to NZ, and we'll beat it tomorrow, I hope. ELECTRONIC MUSIC People with intellectual disabilities are among the poorest in society. Basic health needs are often neglected. Through the Healthy Athletes programme, some athletes experience their first ever health check. We have a purpose here with Healthy Athletes. It is our one chance, our one opportunity to get all of these athletes together, this group of people from around the world, to really take a look at them from head to toe. We'll do oral hygiene instruction. We make a mouthguard for them if they need a mouthguard. Or do a fluoride treatment, give them an electronic toothbrush. And out the door. But now when we're done there, if they're having pain or any difficulty, we can take 'em into our trucks here. These are mobile clinics. And we can do root canals, crowns, extractions. We have an opportunity here not only to take care of the athlete, but the other opportunity is our students. And they come in, and they are now introduced to this population. If we don't get them hooked at this time in their life, they may never accept these athletes into their practice. So when they're exposed like this, they'll be hooked for life, and they'll take care of these people for ever and ever. It's a prescription of your eye. Would you please remove your glasses. OK. Same thing. We try as much as possible to do a test that is very user-friendly. And most people are used to going into an eye exam and reading letters and numbers. And often what we'll do is use shapes or things that are matching. It works great for our needs here not only because we have different levels of ability, but at the World Games, there's also this language issue, and sometimes if we don't communicate with the same words, we can still go ahead and show the pictures. Square. I think my best story is of the athlete who was an amazing swimmer, and the coach said, 'I don't understand what's happening, because she never wins in competition.' And we found out after going through the screening that her eyes were so nearsighted that she could not see if she was swimming straight in her lane. And after, when she got her goggles, she could see, and so she was winning gold medals. I want you to repeat this. (SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Ba, ba, ba. Ba, ba, ba. Ah. Ah. Ee. Ee. Ooh. Ooh. Good job. He might have a better opportunity now to get a job. So it's more than just helping his realise his dream in cycling, but it's allowing him to be part of his family, part of his community, and ultimately get a job and take care of himself. So the goal is if we do this for people, if we help them when they're in need, they will then go out and find a way to give back. And at the end of the day, that's what we're all trying to do. BEATBOXING The basketballers have won every game so far. Now they face United Arab Emirates for gold. BEATBOXING CONTINUES So, you gotta be careful, making sure you don't put the ball to the ground too much. Really accurate on your passes. Gotta be` We wanna be really sharp for this game. OK, so, you know, really just wanna see everyone leave everything out on the floor there. Kiwis on three. ALL: One, two, three. Kiwis! MOMENTOUS MUSIC SUPPORTERS CHEER (BLOWS WHISTLE) Pressure, pressure! Block, block! CHEERING Five seconds. Plenty of time. BUZZER BLARES The Kiwis have lost 26-11. ALL SHOUT, CHEER The great finish there. One of the things I always work through is making sure that whether they win or lose, respect for the opposition. APPLAUSE The dance at the end, joining in with the UAE guys and doing the circle dance. ALL CHEER WHOOPING NZ get the silver. So elated after, I guess, the whole build-up to this since last October. And, you know, bringing the team together. And now the culmination of working right through the tournament and, you know, ending up in a position much higher than I ever thought we could achieve. They're awarded with a trophy for sportsmanship. It's not just for the basketball, but for everyone involved in these Games. Everyone just voted us that we were being good sports` sportsmen, going around saying thank you and just being a general good team out there. # ... ka ora, ka ora. # Ka mate, ka mate! Ka ora, ka ora! # Tenei te tangata puhuru-huru, # Nana nei i tiki mai, whakawhiti te ra! # Upane, ka upane! # Hupane, kaupane, whiti te ra. # Hi! # Probably go home to my daughter and my partner. Yeah, been away from them the longest I've ever been, so back to` back home to reality, I guess. And, uh, and I can show my daughter that dreams do come true. ALL: Kiwi! UPLIFTING MUSIC (YELLS) Ahhh! CHEERING You have three attempts. You have to get one of those attempts. If you fail all three, you're DQ. So it's very important to get one of them on the board. In a squat, if you don't squat low enough, it's a red card. I suppose the most important thing is that you have to listen to the referee's calls. If you start the movement before the call or end the movement before the call, it's a red card. CHEERING Grant's competing in the men's under-83 kilo division. Pretty much just aiming to do my personal best, yeah, with the lifts and stuff. Pretty much just give it my all and my best shot and see what comes out, yeah. Grant's got his favourite lift first ` the squat. ANNOUNCER: NZ. CHEERING 10 years ago, if someone came to the house, he would probably go to his bedroom. He didn't really interact. Special Olympics, he has grown, he's got confidence. He's become a global messenger. He's starting with 120 kilos. MAN: One. Hup! Good boy! CHEERING, APPLAUSE MAN: One. Fire it up! SPECTATORS SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT Grant's never lifted 140 kilos. But he needs to, to medal. Get it, Grant! > Get it, get it, get it, get it! > AUDIENCE CHEERS MOMENTOUS MUSIC Grant comes second in the bench. It comes down to the deadlift. (INHALES LOUDLY) (YELLS) These guys are hauling upward of 170 kilos. (YELLS) Chest, chest, chest. Down. 185 kilos are on the bar, and nobody's done it. It's more weight than Grant's coach planned. APPLAUSE 'I just said to him that, you know, we were the army of two, 'pleased to be here, honoured to be here. Go out and smash it.' If he lifts this, he'll win gold. Big chest, big chest, big chest! EXCITED CHEERING Brian said, yeah, the deadlift, 'We're really gonna put on the weights, 'we're gonna hammer this one, baby.' And that's what we did. We went up there and we just took the stage. And now look where we are now. Two golds, two silvers. PA: The gold medal, with a total scoring weight of 405 kilos, representing Special Olympics NZ, Grant McKenzie. APPLAUSE, MUSIC PLAYS Not the weak, the strong. You gotta earn. Whoo! That's what I'm talking about, baby. # This could be # the start of something. # This could be... # Our mission is to create opportunities for connection in every community around the world between people who are excluded and people who can be the agents of inclusion. If this is a show that people watch, it is a failure. If this is a spectacle that people enjoy, it's a failure. These games must be a challenge, they must be an invitation to join, and they must be an opportunity for contact every day of the year in every country around the world. Is this my time to shine, is it? Yeah, it is. ALL: Go, NZ! This year's ninth annual Attitude Awards will be held on December 3rd. Join us at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland to celebrate the achievements of NZers with disabilities. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, go to attitudelive.com See more like this on attitudelive.com Copyright Able 2015