By Gurjot Kang & Solen Aref
News Editor & Reporter
Christopher Douglas began participating in the Special Olympics program at Pacific Lutheran University last year. It quickly became one of his favorite activities during the start of each week.
Douglas’ favorite part of involvement in Special Olympics is swimming. The swimming event he enjoys the most is the 100-meter backstroke which he’s made a lot of progress on this year.
According to senior PLU student and swim athlete Sydney Bishoff, who has worked with Douglas for the last two years, his positivity stands out at every practice. Douglas was on the PLU Special Olympics relay team with Bishoff that won gold last year at state.
“He always just wants to race, and I really like that,” Bishoff said. “He’s just such a fun guy. He’ll talk your ear off and he’ll always just ask how you’re doing.”
Through his own hard work at practices, Douglas has improved his aerodynamics and backstroke significantly this past year. According to Bishoff, Douglas’ spirit never fails to inspire and lift up those around him.
The same could be said about Special Olympics athlete Sierra Mathieu who has been participating in PLU swim practices for about four years.
Mathieu, who is also mentored by Bishoff, is excited to compete in a unified relay team during regionals. Furthermore, she appreciates all the friends she has made and connected with through the program.
“My favorite thing about swimming is doing freestyle, working on my backstroke…and my other strokes,” Mathieu said. “Coming here is my favorite.”
A community partnership for the greater good
Sophomore student and PLU men’s swim team athlete Seth Koivisto teamed up with two Special Olympics athletes this year.
Their routine usually starts with stretching, as PLU students help the Special Olympics team get their muscles moving before jumping into the water. PLU students often use this time to catch up and converse with the Special Olympics athletes. Following stretches, PLU athletes join the Special Olympics team in the water.
Since each person is at a different level of skill-set, PLU students create an individualized learning program for every Special Olympics athlete. All ages are welcome on the team, with athletes ranging from 10 to 50 years old participating. The practices are wrapped up for the week with a quick game or cannonball contest, which is a favorite activity amongst many.
For Koivisto, the best part of mentorship is seeing the looks on athletes’ faces when they finish their races.
“I don’t know about any substantial long term influence on these people and their lives, but if I could do one good thing to maybe brighten their day, or their week, then I’ll be happy,” Koivisto said.
He hopes the partnership PLU has with Metro Parks Tacoma continues long after he graduates as he believes it is a great addition to the community.
“It shows that not only is PLU committed to its students, but also the greater Tacoma area,” Koivisto said.
Mentoring is a two-way street
Bishoff first started working with Special Olympic athletes during her sophomore year of high school. Upon hearing about PLU’s partnership with the Special Olympics of Metro Parks Tacoma, Bishoff was thrilled by the opportunity to continue her volunteering during college.
“I’ve been doing swimming with Special Olympic athletes for around seven years now…when I came to college that was something I wanted to pursue,” Bishoff said. “When I found out the swim team did volunteer work with them on a regular basis, I was really excited.”
Every Monday for about eight to ten weeks, from the month of March to May, PLU athletes work with the Special Olympic athletes at the swimming center on lower campus from 7 to 8:30 pm As a part of the partnership, PLU swim athletes and the Special Olympic athletes develop a unique bond with each other. Through mentoring, friendships are formed, progress is made, goals are created, competitions are won, and most importantly, everyone enjoys their time.
“They teach you some things about working with Special Olympic athletes…and then you teach them some things about swimming,” Bishoff said.
Bishoff’s favorite aspect of volunteering are the expressions of pure joy she witnesses on the faces of Special Olympics athletes whenever they learn a new technique during practice or get the chance to compete individually or in a unified relay. Bishoff recalls seeing one of these happy moments after her unified relay team, which included another PLU athlete and two other Special Olympics athletes, got first place at a state relay competition during the Washington State Spring Games last summer.
“We won gold and so for us, it wasn’t necessarily about the winning, we just enjoyed the look on the other two Special Olympic athletes faces. They were crying. They were just so happy they won. It was really nice to be a part of that moment,” Bishoff said. “They’re always so positive…they don’t take a single second for granted, which is really refreshing. It makes me want to swim. It reignites my passion for swimming.”
Early last April, citizens around the nation took up arms on social media as the U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos proposed $17.6 million in cuts to federally funded Special Olympics program. Although the cuts were never implemented following public outrage, the proposed budget ideas left an impression in the minds of many Americans. The threat posed by Devos’ Department called to attention the need to continue supporting and funding Special Olympics and the thousands of athletes with disabilities they serve.
“The big thing is that these are people too. You can’t provide opportunities to one person and not to another. I think it’s just this overarching theme of equality. You can’t take away these programs and these resources from these Special Olympics and special needs people because some of these programs really help them thrive,” Bishoff said. “I’ve seen kids who were nonverbal and didn’t like to speak and they’d come to Special Olympics sports… and all of a sudden, they’re talking. It’s not a one fix all Band-Aid, but I’ve seen the benefits of having these programs and even just the benefits for volunteers.”
Every time Bishoff comes in to practice with the Special Olympics athletes, she never fails to leave without a smile.
“My day is just so much happier and filled with a lot more joy,” Bishoff said. “Some people might be having a really bad day but then they come in and volunteer, and I bet you by the end of the hour they’re smiling.”
In addition to the weekly swim practices, PLU also hosts a one-day Special Olympics two hour basketball clinic on a Saturday in January where Special Olympics teams from Metro Parks come, learn skills and prepare to play during halftime at a girls and boys evening basketball game.
Special Olympics Coordinator for Metro Parks Tacoma, Ed Hazel, described the tremendous impact the program has had at PLU. Metro Parks itself works with around 120 to 150 athletes throughout its organization from Gig Harbor, Federal Way, Puyallup and other cities nearby.
Hazel is excited to see the two unified relay teams from the PLU and Metro Parks program compete at the regional Special Olympics competition at the Recreation Center at Evergreen College in Olympia on May 4. Not to mention, the 2019 Spring State Games will take place at PLU this year from May 31 to June 2, with hundreds of Special Olympics athletes from around the state coming to campus.
When it comes to PLU athletes mentoring the Special Olympic athletes, Hazel is proud to see Lutes take initiative and lead the lessons and practices one-on-one. The significance of this mentorship is undeniable.
“They work harder and they become instant friends,” Hazel said. “The PLU athletes show interest…they’ll sit and they’ll talk to them. They’ll encourage them. It’s a partnership but for a lot of our athletes they’re here thinking, ‘wow, I made a new friend.’”
It is more often than not that the Special Olympics athletes leave each practice feeling like they’ve connected more with their mentors and built upon their prior friendships.
The mission of Division III
The National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, Division III partnership with Special Olympics at PLU officially began in August 1, 2011. For Senior Associate Director of Athletics Jen Thomas, PLU’s commitment toward working with Special Olympics athletes directly fits in with what it means to be a Division III institution.
As a result, the annual Special Olympics basketball clinic was set-up. Particularly, Thomas has been working on sponsoring the basketball clinic since January of 2012. This year, the clinic took place on January 12 and the Special Olympics athletes came back to play at PLU on February 16.
The clinic usually brings in around 50 to 60 Special Olympics athletes and about 60 PLU athletes. Three years after the clinic began, the current partnership with Special Olympics athletes and PLU swim team athletes started in 2015.
“For a Division III school, we really focus on the holistic development of our student athletes,” Thomas said. “We really focus on trying to develop the whole student.”
Part of the philosophy of Division III is to have PLU athletes participate in community outreach. According to Thomas, the Special Olympics program at PLU provides a great “natural tie-in for athletes to share something they love—participation in sports—with others.”
Kicking butt in the pool
During her freshman and sophomore year, Bishoff remembers how there were no unified relay teams at PLU. Unified relays are teams made up of both Special Olympics and PLU athletes competing together for regional and state races. After a request for more relays, this year, there are now two unified relay teams that plan on competing at state.
“Since this is my last year, I’ve been pushing for that close-knit relationship with Special Olympics athletes and actually competing with them,” Bishoff said.
For the future of Special Olympics at PLU, Bishoff would like to see even greater support and attendance from other student athletes. There are over 20 PLU swim athletes currently mentoring the approximate 30 Special Olympic athletes in the swim program.
“I’d like to see it continue, I’d like to see more unified relays happening and I’d like to see a bigger turnout from the swim team,” Bishoff said.
Reflecting back on her past four years of volunteering at PLU, Bishoff proudly speaks of the many ways she has witnessed Special Olympics athletes break barriers.
Having a disability doesn’t mean a lack of ability. Just because they might have some challenges doesn’t mean they’re any less capable of doing something than the rest of us,” Bishoff said. “I’ve seen some of these Special Olympic athletes kick butt in the pool. They are phenomenal.”
As the Special Olympics partnership at PLU continues, it is no doubt there will be plenty of more smiles, laughter, golden moments of joy and of course, kicking butt.
