The Southsider Voice
Visit us at these places!
  • Home
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • Sports
    • Car Nutz
    • Stilley Goes Trackside
    • Southside Deaths
    • Personal Recollections
    • Reminiscing
  • About the Voice
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Newspaper Archive
  • Classifieds

Special Olympics gets athletes off the bench

12/2/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
SUBMITTED PHOTOS The Lightning volleyball team won a gold medal at the Special Olympics.
PictureAshly O'keefe hopes this is the perfect home run ball.
By Sherri Coner
Southsider Voice correspondent
   
Until they participate in Special Olympics, many athletes with intellectual disabilities have spent a lot of time on the bench watching their siblings play various organized games or a lot of time in front of the TV, watching competitions they would love to participate in.
   
With access to Special Olympics, nearly 11,000 Hoosier athletes with intellectual disabilities no longer have to warm the bench.

They have an opportunity to don a uniform, learn the rules and be part of a sports team for up to 25 different types of sports. Quite literally, ages of athletes range from elementary students to senior citizens. 

Participating in Special Olympics might be the only means of exercise for some athletes. For others, it might be one of few avenues for socializing and making new friends. But don’t ever assume that these athletes are different from any other sports-loving competitors.

“They are like any other athletes; they want to win,” said Duchess Adjei, manager of marketing and public relations for Indiana’s Special Olympics program. “They want to win medals. They want to win recognition.” 

Depending on the season for the competitive year-round sports schedule and the sports available in that county, athletes might choose from bowling, basketball or volleyball, softball, track and field, aquatics, corn hole and several other sports. 

As the treasurer and the public relations contact for the South Marion County chapter for Special Olympics, Kathy West of the Southside was happy to get her daughter, Tonya, 25, involved in the organization. 

Tonya, who was born with Down syndrome, has always been athletic and competitive, too. By participating in Special Olympics, both of those interests are met. 

As a tight-knit group of families that often see the same athletes and the same parents on the benches to watch track and field or volleyball practices or competitions, close relationships are formed, West said.

Maybe because they have more of an opportunity to enter into long conversations, it seems that bowling season brings the time for parents to reach out to other parents for much needed advice.

“There is no way to prepare for this,” West said of the challenges and victories of day-to-day life with Tonya. “There is no training on how to raise a child with special needs.”

Editor’s note: Monetary support from corporations and civic organizations is crucial to this nonprofit organization. Special Olympics does not receive federal, state or United Way funding. To learn more about how your company or family can donate, visit soindiana.org. 

Picture
Beth Terhune eyes the ball
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    Arts & Entertainment
    Lead Story
    Sports: 500
    Sports: Basketball
    Sports: Track

    RSS Feed

 DROP OFF: The Toy Drop 6025 Madison Ave., Suite D
Indianapolis, IN  46227  |  317-781-0023
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 17187, Indianapolis, IN 46217

[email protected] | [email protected]
Website by IndyTeleData, Inc.