Special Olympics

A Little Game Change-Up 

On your marks, get set, go! The gun goes off and a few seconds go by and no one makes a move. 

"Come on, run! It’s time to start!" we yell encouragingly.  

Within moments of hearing our voices, there is an unmistakable glow of excitement on the athletes’ faces and they begin running. It is an unlikely start to a highly competitive race, and yet it is the weekly norm at Grant High School's Special Olympics track and field practice.  With an innate sense of team work and competition much like any other practice, it is hard to imagine that these athletes have varying degrees of both mental and physical disabilities. These athletes are truly remarkable in skill and perseverance and yet the minute they step off the field of Grant high school, they are categorized and often their potential overlooked.  

We don't often talk about games in regards to people who are mentally or physically disabled.  While the rules might change a little to fit the specific needs of the players, the games themselves are not taken from their original nature.  As an assistant coach for both track and field and soccer, I watch as these athletes use games to learn more about life, skills, and friendships.  As normally developing children, we often relied on games to make friends, enjoy our time, and compete against one another.  With a somewhat different childhood, these athletes use games to learn new skills, make new friends, foster sharing behaviors, and understand the importance of following rules on and off the field.  There skills, much like us, vary.  There are promising and VERY talented athletes who use the Special Olympics to receive gold medals and break records, and there are also the athletes who struggle with the game itself but provide the encouraging words the team needs.  

The problem is that millions of people in any given day, in countless numbers of social settings continue to discount these special people and athletes.  They can attend school, work, drive cars, get married, participate in decisions that affect them, and contribute to society in many ways.  People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are capable and enjoy sharing life experiences – listening to music, playing video games, watching the latest movies, having fun – as well as working together toward athletic excellence and mutually enriching one-to-one friendships as demonstrated constantly through Special Olympics.