MISSION – Time to chalk up and get ready to lift. Valley kids were pumped up to show off their strength and interact with their opponents Wednesday at Mission Veterans High School.

“Making friends and meeting new people,” said Mission CISD athlete Hector Sanchez. “Mission is the strongest.”

Today’s event featured athletes from Mission, Weslaco, La Feria, and Mercedes.

“They love the opportunity to come out and show what they have,” said Special Olympics Texas event coordinator Ytszel Trinidad. “Whether they get a medal or not, they love to be in the spotlight.”

“I’m excited for the deadlift because I like to do that,” said Los Fresnos CISD athlete Desiree Lee. “It’s pretty great to hang out with my friends.”

The meet was special for Sharyland coach Guillermo Guzman, who has coached his athletes for many years.

“They start not being able to pick up the bar,” said Guzman. “Little by little they start working on it and they start lifting more than you can imagine. They find a liking to it and just go from there.”

“We can do the bench and the squat,” said Sharyland ISD athlete Ivan Cabrera. “I like the deadlift.”