The Special Olympics Basketball season is underway as athletes and student coaches continue working hard to create an uplifting atmosphere for the program. Special Olympics Illinois (SOILL) is an organization that aims to engage athletes with intellectual disabilities. The programs intend to enhance physical fitness, social skills and self-confidence.
York has three of the 18 sports offered through SOILL, so student athletes and volunteers alike can gain these valuable life skills through the York Athletic Department. The Special Olympics Basketball Team gives students the chance to try the sport in an accessible, welcoming and supportive environment.
“It goes a lot slower than the original team,” junior Kylie Story said. “It’s not a cut sport, so you can just come in and play without having to be worried.”
Accommodations are put in place at games and practices to ensure that students feel comfortable on and off the court. However, these modifications do not hinder the competitive atmosphere of the team. Senior Cole Hunter has been helping out the team since his sophomore year. As a student volunteer, he goes to all the games and supports players during weekly practices.
“It’s just like a normal basketball practice,” Hunter said. “We have warm ups, we have layup lines, we do passing drills and we do scrimmages. Some of the volunteers, we help them scrimmage, show them the ropes and get them in the right positions for defense and offense.”
Students are given the resources they need to embrace the sport and improve their skills. As a result, athletes feel like they have improved during their time in the program.
“I have grown into a better player,” junior Maya Finley said. “I am getting more shots. I am playing better defense. When I was a freshman I didn’t really know how to do that, so I’ve really learned.”
When athletes succeed on the court, they feel a sense of pride that carries over to other aspects of their life. Students feel that they are contributing to something bigger than themselves.
“I am so happy to be a top player on the team,”senior Alex Michael said. “It makes me feel happy and confident.”
Michael has been playing for the team since his freshman year and scored the game winning basket on Dec. 13 in the Senior vs. Staff game, an exciting experience for both the teachers and the players. Social Studies teacher Elliott Fafinski played on the staff team and got to participate in some healthy competition with his students.
“My favorite part of the game was probably the end,” Fafinski said. “Seeing everybody celebrate, seeing the joy that the game brought to everybody, was pretty awesome.”
The same excitement that followed the Staff vs. Student game is present throughout the whole season. Players are excited to win and learn new skills, but they are also excited to just play with their teammates.
“My favorite thing about playing on the team is that I can hang out with my friends at the same time as playing a sport that I like,” Story said.
There is always something worth celebrating within the team. Not only are athletes constantly improving their skills on the court, but they are also becoming better collaborators. Working with their teammates gives athletes the chance to take on leadership roles and practice teamwork.
“Sports just bring a lot of people together and I think the Special Olympics team does that in a great way,” Fafinski said. “It’s great to see the kids playing basketball and having fun.”
For many athletes, it is the togetherness of the team that encourages them to join and keeps them coming back. Most of these students share classes together and many of them have known eachother since elementary and middle school. The basketball team gives them the chance to spend more time together and build friendships outside of the classroom.
“My favorite thing about Special Olympics Basketball is being able to hang out with all of my friends and getting to see how excited people get when they get to make new friends,” junior Kate Sloan said.
Teammates value the bonds built within the team, but they also deeply appreciate the support from the student body on game days. One of the less obvious benefits of joining a sports team is being able to represent the school in a way that brings people together. The team gives students the chance to experience the York community in a unique way.
“I think it’s important, especially because some of these students don’t really get to be in the same classes as everybody else,” Hunter said. “They don’t always get to feel the York pride. The Special Olympics team kind of gives these athletes a taste of the York Duke’s support. We have a great community here and it gives them a taste of that.”
Getting involved in extracurricular activities helps all students form stronger connections. While it can be scary to try something new, the Special Olympics team creates a welcoming community for learning skills and making friends.
“I think people should join the team to be close with others and to be able to try something new,” Sloan said. “Even if they haven’t tried it they can still come and give it a try and meet new people.”
