As her niece, CeCe Wagner, and other special needs athletes ice-skated -- some stumbling, one with a walker -- Rosemary Flynn was struck by the beauty of the human spirit.

"If we all had what these folks have," she said of what she believes is courage wrought from adversity.

Ms. Flynn, of Bellevue, was in the bleachers at the recent Special Olympics Allegheny County Figure Skating Tournament.

Her thoughts were echoed in the program's Athlete Oath recited by skater Bobby Walsh, 31, of Upper St. Clair, during the opening ceremonies:

"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

The Feb. 7 event at the Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center drew about 100 family members and friends to cheer on the 11 skaters, all wearing costumes as snazzy as those worn in the Olympics.

The skaters, in addition to Mr. Walsh and Ms. Wagner, 38, of Mt. Lebanon, were: Jennifer Miller, 36, of McCandless; David Mulgrave, 41, of Green Tree; Ellen Siciliano, 44, of Castle Shannon; Wendy Zimmerman, 38, of Kennedy; Amanda Diaz, 15, of Mt. Lebanon; Emily Julian, 8, of Moon; Kendra Ott, 18, of Baldwin Borough; Denise Tedesco, 43, of Dormont; and Diane Wojdowski, 43, of South Side.

In the end, almost everyone received a gold medal. Ms. Miller was awarded a silver medal in the afternoon's only competition between herself and Ms. Wagner in singles in their classification.

"I learn new stuff each time," Ms. Miller said of what she likes about performing. That's in addition to her red-sequined, red-and-black, shiny velvet shirt and black pants, she added.

"My mom made it so I love it more," she said.

"It gives her a sense of pride and things she can talk about and share as a normal adult," said Betty Miller, her mother, whose friends drove three hours from Du Bois, Clearfield County, to contribute to the thunderous applause after every performance.

"I am always nervous waiting to begin, but when I'm out there, I have a good time," said Ms. Wagner, who changed costumes between performances, which included skating with Mr. Mulgrave as the only pairs entry.

"We were at the Poconos waiting for our turn to compete and started talking," said Ms. Wagner of the kickoff of their 12 years as dance partners.

The two friends, who practice year-round, pay for private skating lessons from their earnings at full-time jobs.

Kathy Guy, director of Special Olympics Allegheny County, said that while the recreation center is the only training site for singles and pairs ice skating, the county has 21 training sites for the program's 15 sports. Those include alpine skiing, aquatics, track/field, basketball, bocce, bowling, equestrian, floor hockey, figure skating, golf, long-distance running/walking, motorized activity training, power lifting, soccer and softball.

Athletes, for whom the only age restriction is that they be at least 8 years old, are not charged to participate.

The county and state programs do not receive any government funding but rely on the support of donors and volunteer coaches.

Those volunteers help train skaters for an hour Saturday mornings, November through February, at the recreation center.

"The program is run by volunteers who love and care for the kids and push in a very supportive way," said Amanda's mother, Stacey Diaz.

"She eagerly awaits every Saturday to come skate. It's the highlight of her week," she said of her daughter, an eighth-grader at Mellon Middle School.

If the older skaters are any measure, that passion never dies.

"I love CeCe dearly," Ms. Flynn said, "so I wouldn't dare miss a performance after getting all the e-mails from her telling me about it."

For more information on the Special Olympics, call 412-279-5450.