Special Olympics to take on USF

Update: At the time this story went to print, the Special Olympics club did not plan to compete in regional and state tournaments. However, with support from South Dakota Special Olympics and increased participation, they will now compete as a delegation in tournaments. The story appears below as initially reported.

The ball bounces off the hardwood court once, then twice, as he dribbles to the top of the key, eyes zeroed in on the basket. With a quick step back, he squares up beyond the three-point line, pulls back and takes the shot. The ball glides through the air, and with a swish, it sinks through the net. The sideline erupts with excitement as his team swarms the court to celebrate the clutch shot.

Moments like this, when teammates support and celebrate each other’s successes, are what team sports are all about.

This excitement and connection will be on full display when the Augustana Special Olympics College Club takes on the University of Sioux Falls Special Olympics team in their annual rivalry games. The games will be held during halftime of the Augustana women’s basketball game Nov. 21 and the men’s basketball game Nov. 26, both at USF.

The Augustana USF rivalry began in 2017 and gives students with intellectual and developmental disabilities a chance to compete in an event that highlights their skills and promotes inclusion.

While the rivalry game has existed for years, a relatively recent initiative associated with the event is the Augustana Special Olympics College Club, created by seniors John James, an Augie Access student, and Barrett Lloyd, a psychology major, last year.

Members of the Augustana Special Olympics College Club participate in group fitness classes and various intramurals at the Elmen Center. Last year, the team even had the opportunity to compete in regional and state Special Olympics tournaments as a unified delegation.

However, this year, due to a lack of funds and members willing to travel, the club will not participate in those tournaments and rather compete in intramurals on campus.

“Besides finding players that are committed to traveling, we would have to get actual equipment such as jerseys, transportation funds and stuff like that,” Lloyd said. “Those are not little things that really impacted our decision not to do a delegation this year.”

Despite this shift, the club remains committed to providing a meaningful experience for all participants.

“It’s not really taking away any opportunities from people in our community because our Augie Access students are able to go out and do other Special Olympic teams,” Lloyd said. “We actually had students like Jason [Gentile] , Justin [Rokusek] and John James compete on those teams before, and they were very accessible.”

Lloyd also highlighted that hosting more competitions on campus provides an opportunity to involve more Augustana students as unified partners, students without disabilities, who help athletes in the Special Olympics compete.

Co-founders James and Lloyd graduate this year and hope the club will continue to grow after their departure.

“I’m hoping in the future, the Special Olympics College Club continues for years and years to come and gets more people involved, and becomes a very recognized club on campus,” James said. 

One member who shares this vision is sophomore Maya Heinitz.

Heinitz joined the club last year after she heard about it in a special education class.

“Within the first event I went to, which was a small basketball practice, getting to know the students was extremely formative,” Heinitz said. “Right after leaving that, I knew I wanted to get more involved getting to know the students more because they are just so awesome.”

Heinitz also believes that with more members and funding, the club could expand its activities beyond Augustana, potentially bringing back the delegation and competing in regional and state Special Olympics tournaments.

Heinitz encourages anyone interested in joining the club to give it a shot. 

“I think a lot of people avoid joining clubs just because of the time commitment, but, I have never regretted any amount of time that I have spent with any involvement in the club,” Heinitz said. “Every moment I have cherished.”