September 07, 2007

Stars help inspire Boise for Special Olympics World Winter Games

Henry Winkler, Scott Glenn and Olympians promote World Winter Games, coming in 2009.

Thursday morning under smoky beige skies, a crew rolled out the "silver carpet" at the Boise Centre on The Grove to get ready for a gala event the likes of which the City of Trees has rarely, if ever, seen.

"Share the Magic" brought celebrities and Olympians to town to set the stage for the Special Olympics World Winter Games that will visit Idaho in 2009.

Athletes from more than 80 countries will compete in the Treasure Valley, a fact that inspired "Share the Magic" event co-emcee Henry Winkler to urge locals to "bone up on their Berlitz" and learn a few languages to get ready.

Even though film siren Sharon Stone canceled her appearance earlier in the day for a personal issue, other well-known folks were there in force.

Rugged action actor Scott Glenn and television personality Troy McClain took a turn on the silver carpet (chosen because it’s the color of winter) while artificial snowflakes (globs of tiny, soapy bubbles) wafted down from the Centre on the Grove. But the real stars of the evening were the athletes.

Idaho Special Olympians, including Evelyn Martinez, walked the silver carpet and celebrated among Idaho notables like Gov. Butch Otter, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and Olympic aerialist Jeret “Speedy” Peterson.

Inside the convention hall, revelers sipped on champagne and ate filet mignon in a huge room swathed in white, gossamer fabric. Lighted snowflakes danced on the walls. Candles flickered on every table. Martinez, glowing in a red sheath dress, was introduced by Scott Glenn.

“She’s beat more odds than most of use ever think about looking in the face with grace and honor,” Glenn said.

Martinez, a swimmer from Boise, told the crowd that “Special Olympics is my hero.”

Winkler, largely known for his television roles, notably as The Fonz on the series “Happy Days,” was event co-emcee with McClain, voluble son of Idaho who made good on Donald Trump’s NBC program, “The Apprentice.”

Organizers hoped to raise cash and public awareness for the World Games in Idaho and around the country.

Winkler has a long-standing involvement with the Special Olympics. He attended his first Games in the 1980s.

He went mostly to be a good citizen, he admitted, but was unprepared for how much he would actually like the event.

“Forty-five minutes after stepping onto the field I was emotionally hooked, overwhelmed by emotion,” Winkler said.

Beyond his undeniable status as 1970s pop culture icon, Winkler said he contended with dyslexia as a child and considers himself “learning challenged.”

He started volunteering with children back when he was a ninth-grader in New York City.

Joining Winkler for Thursday’s festivities was Dustin Plunkett. Now 26, Plunkett first competed in the Special Olympics when he was 15. He played soccer, filled in for a missing player and ended up running back and forth between two teams all day.

Both of his teams did well. One took third, the other took fourth. Plunkett is six months into a two-year appointment as one of 12 International Global Messengers for the Special Olympics.

He and the other messengers are charged with the task of increasing awareness about the Games as well as sharing their personal stories. Plunkett was found to have gum cancer when he was a kid. He’s now cancer-free. He credits a volunteer dentist with saving his life.

He plays nine different sports, from snowboarding to bocci, and when he’s not working for the Games, has six different jobs. His favorite is coaching 3- to 5-year-olds in a PeeWee sports program in California.

“I had kind of a hard home life,” Plunkett said. “Special Olympics became my family support. The athletes are like brothers and sisters to me. The coaches and volunteers are like parents.”

Winkler is urging Idahoans to come to the Special Olympics in 2009 to meet people like Plunkett and others, to volunteer and enjoy exciting competitions.

“It’s not a matter of the Special Olympics being ‘cute,’ or ‘wonderful,’ or ‘sad,’ ” Winkler said. “It’s about athletic accomplishment, the joy of winning and losing.”

Organizers were hoping the emotional impact of promotional videos, videotaped pleas from celebrities like Paula Abdul and Judith Light, and testimonials from the athletes would encourage revelers to open their checkbooks.

Before Thursday, organizers had raised about half the donations they need to get the Games to Idaho, an estimated $28 million.

Anna Webb: 377-6431 Kathleen Kreller: 377-6418