Groton’s Henry wins at Special Olympics

The Special Olympics New York Summer Games took place in Ithaca on June 25 and featured several local athletes competing for gold. One athlete in particular was Groton’s Kinsey Henry, who won the gold medal in the 400m run and silver medals in the 200m run and running long jump.

This year was the first of three Summer Games that will be hosted by Ithaca (see tinyurl.com/29c82vt3), making it a short trip for Henry. Having the opportunity to compete on a big stage that close to home was important for her.

“[It means] more than I can ever say,” Henry said. “It’s great that we have them for two more years. I’m more comfortable [in Ithaca] because I know everything. I know the tracks and stuff like that. But I also really do like traveling to see new places.”

It was a full day of competing in the sun for Henry after putting a lot of time in to train for the competition. Having it come together with a collection of medals was a worthwhile reward for her effort.

“[Saturday was] busy,” Henry said. “I was just training mostly every day, and the training paid off for all of my events. The competition was great and also being able to see all of my friends at the same time.”

The day before the Games, Henry delivered a speech at the Opening Ceremony. She talked about the opportunity to be a representative of local athletes prior to the Games.

“It was good,” Henry said. “I was a little bit nervous, but I just basically talked to them like I was talking to my friends, and it made it easier. I thanked everybody for coming to it and told everyone to get out and see the sights and get out to see all the sports that were going to be at Ithaca College.”

Having competed in many Special Olympics events in the past, Henry has built friendships with many different athletes. Being able to have them come to Ithaca and see the area in which she lives was a memorable experience for her.

“I’m glad they were here,” Henry said. “Everybody kept saying that they wanted to come up to Ithaca and they finally did. I was really grateful that they came.”

There was a big push for volunteers to come out and help at the Special Olympics, and those efforts came through, as there was a great amount of support for the athletes competing in the different locations around Ithaca. Henry talked about what it meant to her to see the volunteer effort and fans at the event.

“[It was] amazing,” she said. “I tell people, even if you just take 10 minutes or even a day to come out and watch the Special Olympics, it changes people’s lives. We were trying to get the word out to have people for volunteers or just spectators, and it paid off.”

Henry went into more detail about the life-changing aspect of being able to compete as a Special Olympics athlete.

“It means more to me than I can really say,” Henry said. “I’m really grateful that I’m with the Special Olympics. It’s helped me so much. It’s changed me for the better. It keeps me healthy and helps me make new friends. It helps try just getting out and meeting people and being in the community.”

Henry trains in her hometown of Groton and does a lot of running around town. She’s trained by her father, Kevin, as well. The impact of training with her father is evident in the success she had at the Games.

“[Training with my dad is] really good,” Kinsey said. “It shows that when I work together with somebody that I love, it just pays off.”

Up next for Kinsey will be the Special Olympics NY Fall Games, which will be held between Oct. 22 and 24 in Glens Falls. At the event, Kinsey plans on competing in bocce. Running events are certainly where Kinsey’s heart is, and she is looking forward to being able to compete in Ithaca next summer for the next iteration of the State Games.

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