By Brian McBride
Associate Editor

It was an achievement alone for Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Joe Whitson to be chosen from a list of thousands as a member of the 2010 Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg Team for the Special Olympics National Games. But how about being the only law enforcement officer chosen from Florida.

Whitson, 40, left for Lincoln, Neb., Saturday for the games, which are scheduled for July 18-23. Whitson was to join the Final Leg Team (110 members ), comprised of law enforcement runners and Special Olympics athletes who carry the torch for the final miles preceding the Special Olympics National Games. A five-year Sheriff’s Office employee assigned to the crime prevention unit, Whitson has a total of 21 years of law enforcement experience.

While he’ll be gone a total of 10 days, it’s certainly not going to be a vacation, he noted.

The Final Leg Team will be running and attending ceremonies at more than 70 cities and towns throughout Nebraska before arriving at the USA National Games opening ceremonies in Lincoln on Sunday. He said he expects to run between 50 and 70 miles before the tour is over, pounding the street possibly 10 to 12 miles a day between five different runs.

Why did he think he was the sole Sunshine State selection?

“I think it’s just my eagerness to help out,” he said.

While he wears his selection like a badge of honor, the true payoff is helping to serve Special Olympics, he said. Whitson has participated his entire career throughout the state of Florida in the Law Enforcement Torch Run. He’s also involved in fundraising efforts for Special Olympics Florida, including coordinating Tip-A-Cop events, assisting with Publix Super Markets’ annual torch icon sales for Special Olympics and Florida Torch Run merchandise sales. He also participated in the organization’s 2009 Global Torch Run in Miami.

“I’m at every one of those events,” he said.

And the interaction with the Special Olympics Florida athletes is special, he said.

“It’s rewarding. You see the results right away,” Whitson said, recalling some of the local torch runs with athletes. “When you see the looks on their faces, you just can’t beat it.”

Osceola County Sheriff Bob Hansell praised one of the agency’s finest.

“This is a great opportunity for Joe and we are pleased he will be representing Florida at the International Games,” Hansell said. “Our agency supports Special Olympics because of their commitment to providing athletic training and competitions for those with intellectual disabilities.”

About 3,000 athletes from the United States will compete in 13 different team and individual sports. Florida is sending 82 athletes and 20 coaches to the games.

Whitson, a fan of surfing, said he prepared for the Torch Run by just staying in shape and finding time to jog.

According to a Special Olympics press release, the Torch Run event is called the Final Leg because it represents the culmination of Law Enforcement Torch Run events that have occurred previously throughout the U.S. in 2010.

The flame-lighting ceremony, which begins the final leg, was Sunday at Iowa State University in Ames, the site of the last USA National Games in 2006.

The Torch Run is not only a salute to the athletes from around the United States who will participate in the final leg and compete in the Special Olympics USA National Games, but also an honor for the participating law enforcement officers who participate, the press release stated.

“It’s going to be a ton of fun,” Whitson said.

Follow the Torch Run and the Games by visiting www.2010specialolympics.

org.