The Exceptional People's Olympiad
In 1977, something extraordinary happened at Collins Bay Penitentiary. The institution opened its gates and recreation yard to a group that was also subjected to institutionalization, although in a much different context. Individuals with intellectual disabilities from the L.S. Penrose Centre in Kingston, Edward Heights in Picton, the Rideau Regional Centre in Smith Falls and D'Arcy Place in Cobourg, came to Collins Bay to participate in the Exceptional People's Olympiad, a part of the Special Olympics, which had been founded in Canada in 1969.
This first event in 1977, was sponsored by the French-speaking group of inmates, The Group Social Francais. Subsequently, in 1978, sponsorship transitioned to the Ten Plus Group, comprised of those serving sentences of ten years or more. By 1979, it became a prison-wide affair, with participation exceeding two-thirds of the incarcerated population. In 1981, ten members of the Prison for Women joined the event as buddies, in addition to providing clown costumes and handstitched baseball caps.
In 1982, with now six Centres participating, Ron Lauzon provided a history of the event, "We here at Collins Bay are proud and happy to be in our small way a part of such a movement, especially in light of the fact that it was here at 'Collins Bay Penitentiary' that we became the first and only people in Canada to hold a 'Special Olympics' within prison walls."
The Exceptional People's Olympiad required five months of preparation "before the first bus load of athletes passed through the iron grillwork." This preparation included painting "everything that didn't move" and in 1981, even a "new running track laid by the prisoners of Collins Bay and the face lift to the recreation area." Just as important was raising money for the Olympiad, "No grant for the government was extended to or for the Olympiad ... all funds were and are derived through Inmates, Inmate contacts, community support, General Private Co-Sponsors and Personal donations." For the 1981 event, the list of sponsors runs the gamut from well respected Canadian companies to Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs. Examples of community organizations: Sealtest Ice Cream, 200 ice cream treats, Bata Shoes helped with trackshoes, and the Salvation Army with 100 bars of mixed candy. Contributions from the prisoners included, Millhaven's "500 certificates of participation," the Prison for Women sewing "800 labels of the Olympiad logo on baseball hats," and the John Howard Inmate Wives Group provided the athletes breakfast. Most surprising, outlaw motorcycle clubs, Satan's Choice M.C provided "the cup to the centre with the most competition points" and the Vagabond M.C provided "Plaques for the best male and female athletes."
On the event day, inmates assumed varying roles, with the most esteemed position being that of 'God Brother.' For this role, each athlete was paired with an inmate, who for the duration of the two-day event, served as their friend, trainer, advisor, and confidante. Additional roles were food preparers, crowd controllers, sport clinic members, game masters, refreshment servers, and team captains. Concurrently, behind-the-scenes responsibilities included positions such as stage crew, yard crew, electricians, sign painters, and silk screen printers.
While the event seemed to separate from the Special Olympics banner in later years (Collins Bay celebrated their 30th Exceptional People's Olympiad in 2007), Frank Hayden, the founder of the Special Olympics in Canada, attended in 1979 and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the program, wrote congratulatory letters to Collins Bay in 1977 and 1978.
It is evident that this event holds particular significance for both the inmate organizers and participants, constituting a day eagerly anticipated and an experience beyond the ordinary—a "two-day period dedicated to contemplating someone else's challenges rather than our own." Beyond the inherent novelty, it served as an occasion for individuals to extricate themselves from their routine, and allowed them to spend two festive days outside, featuring skydivers who "descend directly into the prison," and an opportunity to eat and drink, “ice-cream, water melons, potato chips, a lunch hour barbecue consisting of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and all the trimmings plus all the beverages you can drink.”
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