Hub City Inaugural Games to be held in memory of six-year-old Marley Taylor
Special Olympics Mississippi, Hub City Region, is gearing up for its Inaugural Games on Saturday, September 19, and the region has dedicated the games to one of their own. Six-year-old Marley Taylor was described by many as energetic, touching and larger-than-life. She was a Hattiesburg student with Downs Syndrome who passed away earlier this year. The Inaugural Games will be played in her honor. “We are honored that the Special Olympics would choose to dedicate the games in honor of Marley,” said Taylor’s mother, Nichole LeBreton. “Although Marley wasn’t an athlete yet at the games, she was the true definition of the Special Olympics creed: ‘Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in my attempt.’”
Marley’s grandfather, Nick Crutcher, began working with the Hub City Region in 1974 long before Marley became part of their family. He said there was no question that Marley would have one day been an Olympian. “I want people to know that Marley would have been just as important and just as special as every athlete who participated in the games,” he said. “Marley’s quality of life is what we want for all of our athletes,” said regional director Lori Potter.
Potter said attendants of Saturday’s Inaugural Games are asked to wear hair bows in memory of Marley, which she said was Marley’s “signature accessory.” The games will be held at attiesburg High School’s Athletic Complex, beginning at 9 a.m. The awards ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. The event is free of charge and open to the public.
