Joey Ranco Joey Ranco prepares himself for the World Games on the rings. (Photo Margaret Monn)

``Special Olympics is not a game where only the best go on,'' says Toby LeConte, who will be accompanying Joey to the World Games this year as his gymnastics coach. It is the first time for both of them.

Before embarking upon this journey, Joey and Ms. LeConte will be attending a training camp at Camp Tall Pines in Poland, Maine. Here, 38 other athletes and coaches from the state of Maine will come together for the first time. Though the training will be intensive, Joey has already prepared himself.

Since learning that he would be competing in the World Games, Joey has been diligently practicing. Three times a week he works on his strength and endurance in the elementary school gym. He also goes to the Maine Academy of Gymnastics in Westbrook once a week to work on the routines he will be performing in competition.

Though this takes up much of his time, Joey still manages to swim, ride his bike, collect stuffed animals, play soccer, and read books about airplanes, which he loves. When he grows up, Joey would like to design and build an airplane that is also a car.

At the World Games, Joey will be competing in the following six events: the floor, the vault, the parallel bars, the rings, the high bar, and the pommel horse. Of these events, Ms. LeConte feels that the rings are Joey's strongest. Joey agrees, but says that he likes the floor routine the best.

In these events, Joey will be competing in the second of four levels. Though he fluctuates in his abilities, Joey must maintain the same level for each event. This is different from the national Special Olympics because, there, an athlete may change the level at which he/she competes in order to meet his/her skill level. Though this means more work for Joey, coach LeConte is confident that Joey will succeed due to his hardworking nature.

To help Joey attend the World Games, Everybody's restaurant will be hosting a sports auction put on by the Knights of Columbus this Friday, June 18 at 6:00 in the evening. After the auction, a portion of the proceeds will be awarded to Joey to cover the cost of attending the World Games.

``Joey has a very outgoing and determined personality,'' says his mother, Lori Ranco. For this reason, all who know him believe that he will do very well in competition. But, whatever the outcome, according to coach Toby LeConte, ``It's all a success.''