Lesa Turnquist | Copy Co-Editor
Special Olympics Unified Sports is an initiative that combines approximately equal numbers of Special Olympics athletes and athletes without intellectual disabilities on sports teams. These teams visit different stations for participation in physically active games such as bowling, basketball, Frisbee, beach volleyball, beanbag toss, and more.
This is Buena Vista University’s (BVU) first Unified Sports Day. It is projected to be an annual event as long as it can be financially afforded. There were three areas that promoted and supported the event: College of Education, Human Performance, and student athletes; however, BVU students who helped out at the event came from all across the student body.
Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Bev Ahern and seniors Taylor Bowie and Justin Fejfar were the main coordinators from BVU who brought this event to campus.
“We went to a teachers’ convention last year, and they were talking huge about Special Olympics and getting everybody involved. We saw that BV didn’t have one at all so we thought what better way to get it in to the university to start it up,” Fejfar said.
Ahern, Bowie, and Fejfar stayed in contact with the Special Olympics in Des Moines to help coordinate the event and get the facilities ready. The Special Olympics provided most of the equipment, and BVU acted as a host for the event.
The predicted number of Special Olympics eligible participants coming to the event was 20-25. The number grew to 66 by the time the day came. There also ended up being a recorded number of 102 BVU students that helped out at the event, but that number could be greater because some students did not sign in when they came. That number also doesn’t include the numerous faculty and staff members that were present and contributing at the event.
The purpose of the event coming to BVU was to provide area Special Olympics athletes and BVU students with a unique opportunity. The Special Olympics athletes were able to leave their classrooms to enjoy something they are not given many chances to do.
“The field trip for these [Special Olympics] kids was to have an experience on a college campus, find out what it’s like to hang out with a college kid, and have a day filled with activities that they can do and that they can be very much apart of in a world that makes them extremely successful,” Ahern said.
The BVU students were able to gain a hands-on experience. This experience is beneficial to everybody because it gives them new insights on life and allows them to be open to finding ways to include everybody no matter their needs.
“I think education comes two ways. It’s wonderful to have the textbook and have the opportunities to go online and have a variety of things to read about, but the higher level of learning and understanding comes from your hands on experiences. This gave us a very meaningful lab to take what were talking about in the classroom,” Ahern said.
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Students were to sign up online in advance to help with Unified Sports Day. Anybody was welcome to participate, and anybody is encouraged to participate in the years to come. It is normal for students to be nervous or uncomfortable about working with Special Olympics students. Ahern is open to talking to students with this uncertainty and encourages talking with other students who participated in this year’s Unified Sports Day. Advice is out there waiting.
“Just jump right in. That’s what I did. Just don’t be afraid to try new things. If you’re not familiar with it, just start small and build up,” Fejfar said.
Prior to the event, it was agreed that in order to increase the number of BVU students that could be apart of this experience, students would be allowed to come and go as they needed because classes would also be going on. Director of Volunteers and Unified Sports at Special Olympics Iowa Michelle Haney was leery about this because she was nervous that by the end of the day nobody would be there with the kids, but the BVU students were there, they went to class, and the visitors were always taken care of.
“What’s refreshing for me is to be able to have our kids show the type of kids that they are and the quality of students we have on this campus. They handled it really well, “ Ahern said. “I think you guys know I enjoy the students here; I enjoy my time; I enjoy the opportunity to work here, but right there, that shows you why.”
In the future, more Special Olympics participants are anticipated. Many of the adults that brought kids said they were disappointed they didn’t bring their entire school of kids that could’ve qualified for this event. More BVU students are encouraged to participate in the event to help with the increase in numbers. New students will also be needed to be leaders of this event. The hard work that Fejfar and Bowie put into it needs to be continued.
“We need to continue. These kids don’t really have a lot that they can participate in. This basically is their only thing around this area. I’m a senior so I need to pass the torch to someone else so hopefully we can get that in line and get that started,” Fejfar said.
Photos by Courtney Van Haaften
