Stephen Grayum supported his sister’s competitive dancing for 15 years from the stands at every competition she had. On May 22, the roles were reversed.

All eyes were on the Ames resident and proud Special Olympics athlete as he ran around the upper deck of a darkened Hilton Coliseum, down the stairs onto the court, through a tunnel of uniformed men from the Knights of Columbus and onto the stage.  

With a lit torch in hand and in the beam of a spotlight, he passed the flame to the larger torch to conclude the opening ceremonies and ring in the 2014 Special Olympics Summer Games.

Stephen, 26, has developmental disabilities. Gary Steinke, vice chairman on the Special Olympics board of directors, said that Stephen represented all of the athletes there that night.

“We didn’t really know at the beginning how far he’d be able to go,” Stephen’s mother said.

Henry and Gayla Grayum, Stephen’s parents, were apprehensive about aspects of the torch run. During the practice run, Stephen cut his leg on the metal steps that lead down to the floor of Hilton Coliseum, but he completed the final torch run without problems.

“I was overwhelmed, emotional and really proud that he had such a great honor and that we could support him,” said Emily Jenson, Stephen’s older sister.

Emily supporting Stephen from the stands was a role reversal that their father Henry said he hardly ever sees. Emily said that Stephen has been a loyal fan for many years and has looked up to her.

“Even though I don’t feel worthy of being so admired, it means a lot,” Emily said.

Henry said that it was important to the family that Emily was able to be there to cheer for Stephen.

“He would cheer me on whether I won or lost, though he was very concerned that I won,” Emily said. “Even though we haven’t had a traditional sibling relationship, in moments like this when I support him and he supports me, it feels very normal.”

This competitive edge of Stephen’s continues on the playing field. Henry said that he is hungry for gold medals.

A year-round athlete, he participates in softball, bowling, basketball, soccer and track. Henry said Stephen likes the concreteness of sports — the facts, figures, rankings, rules and scores.

“I want to be a champion,” Stephen said.

Stephen sized up the competition at the opening ceremonies.

“He always tries to check out the other teams to see who’s tough —’Who can we beat? Who can we not beat?’” Henry said. “He is very concerned about that.”

When Stephen is focused and in the zone during competition, a familiar feeling of apprehension fills Henry and Gayla’s minds.

“Things that you typically wouldn’t worry about, we think about,” Henry said.

Their nervousness changes to relief when Stephen crosses the finish line.

On May 24, Stephen ran the 4X100 medley.

With a No. 2 bib fixed on his Arc of Story County team race shirt and a four written on his hand denoting his anchor spot, Stephen prepared for the race. With his hands clasped, he walked around the team camp, scanning faces in the crowd. He always wonders who will show up.

Stephen’s race began at 10:30 a.m. After the third leg, the baton reached Stephen’s hand in a successful handoff. With his short strides and determined look, he sprinted the last 100 meters, coming in third place.

His family met him at the finish line to congratulate him, and he walked to the seat where he awaited his results. Still holding the blue baton, Stephen sat with his legs crossed, tapping his foot with a serious look on his face.

“He’s very stoic,” Emily said.

When The Arc of Story County was called to the podium, Stephen stood among his relay team and accepted his bronze medal.

Moments later, Henry asked Stephen if he was happy. He shook his head no.

“I wanted to win,” Stephen said.

Immediately after a race, he gets disappointed if he did not win. His parents build on his strengths, congratulating his hard work and reminding him that he cannot win every race. Eventually, he becomes happy with his result and wears his medal to church the next day.

Gayla said that Stephen is proud of all of his medals.

Once every two or three months, Stephen takes his medals out of the drawer in his room where they are kept and organizes them by rank. Medals and ribbons cover the floor, and he talks about the memories of being involved with Special Olympics for more than 10 years.

“He loves to go back and relish the moment,” Henry said.

He said that these games are an important and meaningful thing in the lives of the athletes.

Being in the spotlight in Ames and surrounded by thousands of volunteers is special for the athletes, Steinke said.

“It makes them feel, for a couple of days, more special than most of us get to feel in a lifetime,” Steinke said. “And they deserve it.”

Henry said that people should volunteer at the Special Olympics to lower the barriers of perception around people with special needs. He said that this makes people aware that everyone has issues — some are just more visible than others.

“After a while, you see that they’re no different,” Henry said. “Just like everyone else, they have hopes and dreams.”

Stephen’s dreams include one day getting married, having kids, driving a Jaguar and having a job.

“He’ll be happy if he can do that,” Henry said. “But he’ll be happy anyway.”