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Eunice Kennedy Shriver put together the first Special Olympics in Chicago in 1968 with 1000 special-needs athletes from the U.S. and Canada. Shriver, now 87, saw sports as a natural outlet for the intellectually challenged to interact with others and to stay fit. Since then, the event has grown into an international movement with 2.8 million athletes worldwide. Almost as many athletes from Russia (77) are competing as from Canada (79). China is sending 64. And 312 U.S. athletes will be participating. Some 6000 volunteers also will be there to help organize the competitions.
Events include alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, figure skating, speedskating, floor hockey, and snowshoeing. Some of the snowshoers will be coming from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Somalia, Iran, and India, among other nations. "They've been practicing over sand in the desert," says Tim Shriver, 49, who took over as chairman of the Special Olympics from his mother 13 years ago. "Somewhere between 300 and 500 athletes in Boise will be seeing snow for the first time."
The fast-growing floor-hockey event will have an eye-popping 1175 athletes on 82 teams. A number of them will be "unified teams," whose rosters have athletes both with intellectual disabilities and without, called "partners." The idea is that an equal number of "partners" and "athletes" are on the court at any given time and that no one player is allowed to dominate. Shriver believes that unified teams are the future of the Special Olympics. "Our roots are as a movement that allowed someone who'd been unfairly stigmatized to show what he could do as an athlete," he points out. "Now it's no longer entirely about him. It's about us."
Unified teams benefit all participants. "Despite the progress we've made, intellectually-challenged kids are still quite isolated," explains Shriver. "It's the shooting of baskets together or kicking a ball that changes things. When people say, 'This is my teammate,' then we've won."
Studies have shown that nondisabled "partners" who play side by side with challenged athletes also gain a measurable rise in self-esteem. Recognizing the potential of unified teams, the U.S. Department of Education awarded a $4.4 million grant last September to fund Project Unify, which will promote and fund community- and school-based unified teams in various sports throughout the country. "The motto of unified sports is 'On the field we're teammates. Off the field we're friends,'" says Steve Bennett, a senior director for the 2009 World Winter Games.
Greece, Czech Republic, Uruguay, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan all are sending unified floor-hockey teams to the Boise Games, and the U.S. will field two teams. (There also are unified figure-skating teams.) The local favorites in floor hockey will be Team USA Blue, otherwise known as the Caldwell Wildcats, who hail from Caldwell, Idaho. At a recent session at the local YMCA, the team worked on passing and shooting drills before scrimmaging. The camaraderie between the partners and athletes was infectious. When teammate Eric Reed, 24, an athlete who has Down syndrome, sat down in a funk after being told he was out of position, three partner-teammates immediately went over and gave him a pep talk until he rejoined the practice. "The partners encourage you and help you understand things," says Cindy Sears, 22, a goalie for the Wildcats. "If we do something bad, like if I let in a goal, they teach us to be good sports. It's more fun playing on a team with partners. That's what's great about Special Olympics. Everyone encourages everyone else."
The team is coached by Terry Elordi, a phys-ed teacher with the Vallivue School District in Caldwell. Her daughter, Jolyn, who has Down syndrome, is on the squad. Elordi has coached traditional Special Olympics teams in the past but prefers the unified-team experience. "The interaction with partners helps the athletes learn faster," she says. "It gives them confidence. That confidence shows when they do other activities."
Tommy Brase, 24, a Caldwell native, is a good example. He was so reticent, he wouldn't talk to members of the Idaho Special Olympics staff when he first started playing on the team last summer. Now, when a reporter comes by to interview the Wildcats, he steps up proudly. "I scored three goals," he announces. What does Brase think about the unified-team idea? "I like it a lot."
So do the partners, some of whom have siblings on the team and some of whom do not. Why do they join? "The Special Olympians have a great attitude," says Megan Sauer, 17, a partner who isn't related to anyone on the team. "I'd stick with it the rest of my life if I didn't have to go off to college."
"No matter what kind of mood you're in, they can always make you smile," says Chelsie Reed, 18, Eric's sister. "They say really funny, great things. It's more about having fun than winning. Everyone's more caring, more compassionate." Her older sister, brother-in-law, and boyfriend are all Wildcats partners. "In our family, we don't date anyone unless they'll be on our Special Olympics team," she jokes.
Grant Kawaguchi, 21, a former student of Terry Elordi and classmate of Jolyn, agrees. "I get overwhelming satisfaction from seeing these kids develop skills, and I get to give something back to people who helped me grow up. You give a lot — and you get a lot back."
