Her cleats were untied, but she
was appropriately dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, holding her
dark green Mansfield jacket. She had a ball by her
feet and had marked her initials on the cap of her water bottle.
She said, “We can go now.” She had watched her sister get ready
many times before so she knew exactly what it took for an
athlete to be prepared for a practice. She was finally moving
from the sidelines onto the playing fields. It was her turn and
she was ready.
Special Olympics of Massachusetts
(SOMA) has come to Mansfield creating playing opportunities for
many local children with special needs, many of whom have
patiently waited for their turns on the fields and courts.
Heather Gage, the mother of two young boys with autism, began
the quest for a SOMA team in Mansfield last spring. SOMA
provides year-round sports training and athletic
competition to people with intellectual disabilities. “I was
worried about how my boys would do in regular sports. I had
heard that Special Olympics was a great way for children with
special needs to play sports with peers and feel successful,”
Gage said.
Heather was guided in this large
undertaking by Meg Benevides, the
Associate South Section Director
of SOMA. They began working with Pat Cosgrove, Director of
Mansfield Special Education. They held meetings to get a feel
for what families with children with special needs were hoping
their children could participate in. There was a general feeling
of curiosity and hope among parents, but no one really knew if
it would work. We knew our children had the desire to play
sports, but we didn’t know if they could actually go out onto a
field and be able to play by the rules. But as often happens in
the world of those with special needs, our children surprised us
by doing exactly what they were asked to. They played ball.
Two seasons have already passed
and approximately fifty athletes have participated in both
the Fall and Winter sports seasons at State Games. Last fall they gathered at Plymouth
Street fields to begin learning the game of soccer. Darlene Menz
stepped forward to act as the head coach. A middle school nurse and
avid soccer player herself, Darlene had previously coached
children with special needs. A group of young volunteers agreed
to serve as peer role models by playing along side the athletes.
SOMA calls them Unified Partners. They help the children with
special needs to follow the rules of the game and demonstrate
how to move the ball offensively and defensively. Practices
resulted in great progress and in October, Mansfield Special
Olympics sent four teams to the qualifying games in North
Attleboro, where they played, for the first time, competitive
soccer, against other local teams. There were cheers, and even
tears of happiness, as goals were scored and our athletes
prepared to play in the Special Olympics MA State Fall
Tournament.
On a picture perfect November day
in Byfield, MA, hundreds of Special Olympics athletes from over
110 teams, along with their Unified partners, coaches and
families gathered to use their soccer skills and compete for
medals or ribbons in this state-wide, season ending tournament.
The opening ceremony of the Games always includes the reciting
of the Special Olympics Athlete’s Oath:
"Let me win. But if I
cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." They are perfect
lines for a group of athletes whose main goal is to try to play
the game. Mansfield’s own Emily Joyce represented all athletes
by reciting it in front of everyone. Our teams played
wonderfully and brought home silver and gold. Winning
feels good, but in the end, the Special Olympics athletes
already felt great, just by being able to play sports together
in front of many cheering spectators, the way their brothers and
sisters do.
In December, many of these same
athletes began basketball practices. Ed Doherty, a longtime
Mansfield Youth Basketball coach, volunteered to act as the head
coach. He brought with him the members of the girls’ eighth
grade Metro-west basketball team to serve as Unified Partners.
Mike McGuire and Sandy Skinner, both experienced basketball
coaches, also volunteered to help. Forty-two children with
intellectual disabilities from Mansfield, Norton, Foxboro,
Plainville and Norfolk between the ages of 6 to 16 showed up to
take a shot at playing basketball. Practices took place at the
Mass Premier Courts and Mansfield Sports Complex facilities,
both facilities donating the court space. The children were divided by age
and abilities and they began playing basketball. Shooting
techniques, offensive and defensive strategies were demonstrated
and learned. In February, in the gym at Stonehill College, the
Mansfield Jr. Hornets and Sr. Hornets showed that they could
hold their own on the courts as they prepared for SOMA’s State
Winter Games.
In February, despite
blizzard-like conditions, the teams traveled to Worcester for
the Winter Games. It didn’t matter to anyone if a player
traveled or double-dribbled and athletes from opposing teams
allowed one another to move under the basket to set-up for a
shot. Parents cheered for every basket made regardless of which
team scored. All in all, it was a day of great fun. As they
walked out of the gym, tired, but happy, the Special Olympics
athletes proudly wore their ribbons and medals home. Many
excitedly recounted the great plays of the day, embellishing a
bit at times, just like they had so often heard their brothers
and sisters do.
The experiences these
athletes have had are joyful, remarkable, well deserved and
worthy of repeating at future SOMA events. Some children are
already learning the fundamentals of track with head coach Kim Piro and volleyball with Qualters Middle School teacher Heidi
Egan. Please consider helping our organization in any of the
following ways: 1.) volunteer for us as a coach or Unified
Partner, 2.) contribute to our fundraisers or 3.) cheer our
athletes on at one of their Olympic Games. Mansfield Special
Olympics is grateful for any form of support you can give.
Checks are payable to Mansfield Special Olympics and should be
mailed to Special Olympics Massachusetts, 66 Main Street,
Taunton, MA 02780. Our local email is:
HeatherAndTheBoys @ Verizon.net.
The SOMA office email is:
megan.benevides@specialolymicsma.org.
The local SOMA website is:
www.specialolympicsma.org/south.
