A dream debuts

Permit me the occasional self indulgence. Jillian Daugherty is dancing at halftime tonight. Loveland against Somebody. It could be the Lakers, for all I know. Doesn't matter. Jillian is dancing at halftime. What a win for the human spirit.

It isn't just because she is my daughter. OK, maybe it is. But it's also this: She's good at this. She's nearly as good as her teammates, which is remarkable, given she was born with Down Syndrome. Jillian's no charity case. She went to summer dance camp, she has never missed a practice. She spends hours in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom, practicing.

Too often, we define the lives of people with disabilities by what they can't do. Jillian never got that memo. The last time we were on the Loveland bike trail, we rode 20 miles. If you've ever seen a dance team at a basketball halftime, you know these kids need the bodies of a contortionist and a pro jock's coordination to pull it off. That J. Daugherty can manage this, and manage it nearly as well as "normal'' kids, well, you have no idea how that makes me feel.

They'll be bouncing to Run DMC's version of the Aerosmith tune, Walk This Way. If you're in the mood for a little miracle, come to Loveland HS tonight and check it out. Live extra big, my beautiful little girl. You make me very proud.