On June 14th, students from Silver Creek’s Unified Teams traveled to Ithaca College to participate in the Youth Leadership Experience at the New York State Special Olympics 2024 Summer Games!
Julie Decker, Jonathan Pilski, Lily Prince Rivera, and Jacob Schwab enjoyed a fun and educational weekend, which allowed them to gain more knowledge of the inner workings of the Special Olympic Games and interact with Special Olympic athletes and coaches from across the state.
As a part of the Leadership Experience, the students and chaperones were able to attend the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night, marching in the parade of athletes with members of the Western Region Delegation.
After watching the Torch Run and lighting of the Olympic Flame, students met with representatives from Special Olympics New York as well as Unified groups from two other schools in the Capital Region, to learn more about the events at the games and the activities for the weekend. After a short icebreaker activity, the students received a Scavenger Hunt to complete the following day while they attended different events at the games. The Scavenger Hunt required them to complete five short interviews with athletes, coaches, or volunteers about their experiences at the games, as well as take pictures and videos at the events, which would be shared when the group met up together after the closing ceremonies. They also needed to find someone who was from an area closest to their home school, the longest participating athlete, a first-time coach/athlete, and someone who knows about Unified Champion Schools. This activity allowed the Unified Groups to get to know more about the events of the games, the athletes, and the stories that come with being a Special Olympic participant.
Saturday morning brought great excitement as the group was able to attend Volleyball games, Power Lifting, Swimming, and Gymnastics. At each event, the students were able to gain knowledge about the different sports. Some examples include learning about the seeding of the teams for the volleyball games, watching the behind the scenes coaching of athletes at Powerlifting, as well as the rules of Power Lifting, and how the swimmers are organized for their events to keep the meet moving in a timely fashion. Other sports occurring offsite included Track and Field, Basketball, Bowling, and Tennis.
When all the medals and ribbons had been handed out, the Closing Ceremonies took place in the Ithaca Athletic and Events Center. This included health checks for the athletes, the extinguishing of the Olympic Flame, and a Victory Dance. During this time, the students taking part in the Youth Leadership Experience met with athletes, family members of athletes, coaches, and volunteers and signed a “Spread the Word” banner promoting Inclusion for all individuals. They were also offered the opportunity to tell their Special Olympic story.
When the ceremonies had ended and clean-up started, the group met with Special Olympic representative, Nathan Johnson, Executive Director of Unified Sports, to share their Scavenger Hunt results and talk about everyone’s overall experiences.
Jacob Schwab, a senior from Silver Creek attending the games for the first time stated, “It was great to see all of the athletes getting to be a part of something so amazing while having their family and friends watching.” He also commented, “This experience was something that just brought me great joy.”
Julie Decker, also a senior at Silver Creek was attending the games for a second time, having also attended the Fall Games in 2022, stated she really enjoyed getting to see behind the scenes of the events, especially Power Lifting. “It was amazing to see the support the other athletes provided for not only their teammates, but all the athletes. Everyone celebrated in the joys and provided support in the defeats.”
As the weekend drew to a close, the smiles, joys, and excitement of the weekend left everyone feeling as if they had won a gold medal. The chaperones, Janet Decker and Bonnie Pilski, expressed the desire to bring their students to future games in order to provide not only the educational experience of the event, but the pure elation felt while interacting with every athlete, coach, and volunteer.
The Unified participants from both schools, as well as their chaperones, and the athletes and coaches of the games, were able to attend this amazing event for free (transportation, meals, and housing) thanks to the donations made to Special Olympics New York and fundraising events like the Polar Plunge and Buffalo Bowl. Please consider the experiences your donation can provide when the students are seeking donations in the upcoming year.