The Fieldston tradition of students and parents helping their community has continued this year as volunteers from the upper school helped host our school’s 2nd Special Olympics post-covid. The organization, started by Eunice Kennedy in 1968, is the largest worldwide sporting event for people with intellectual disabilities that compete against one another in a series of events. This year, the hosted branch of Special Olympics was a swim and basketball invitational where teams from around the city were invited to participate at the upper campus.
Prior to the competitions, Fieldston volunteers met up with the teams, introduced themselves and helped each athlete get to the correct section of their events. The swim and basketball events occurred simultaneously, with athletes warming up for their swim events in the varsity pool and for basketball in both upper and lower gyms. To stay organized, fieldston student managers were appointed to each team. Their job was to follow the athletes around, make sure they get to each event on time, stay with their teammates and have a good time!
After everyone got settled, the events began. For swimming, each athlete participated in different races throughout the day, which ranged in distance and type. With basketball, the games were held in the varsity and junior varsity gyms and were played in a bracket format. The events (both swimming and basketball) were held in the morning and continued into the afternoon, where at the end of the day each participant had the opportunity to have their photographs taken while being awarded their medals.
Fieldston athletes also took part in many of these events. After individual swimming races were completed, volunteers and special Olympic athletes had the opportunity to jointly compete in unified races. Alden Harting (Form V), who competed, explained that this was a, “great chance for special olympians and fieldston athletes to bond.”
Volunteers take great pleasure in participating in the Special Olympics, and although the event is held for athletic competition, it is primarily about the athletes and bringing together a community that supports them throughout the day. Wallis Taft (Form IV), explained, “I think that one thing I took away from this is the really strong sense of community amongst students and athletes” It was very rewarding for the volunteers and the Special Olympics creates a fun space for friendships to be made. Dylan Gorman (Form VI), an organizer of the Fieldston Special Olympics, emphasized the importance of this day for her, saying, “I always love volunteering at the Special Olympics because it allows me to meet many new people. I also get to learn so much from all the athletes that participate when I have conversations with them!”
Seeing the joy in the special Olympians’ eyes and seeing the challenges they have to overcome in order to compete is truly inspirational. Special Olympics have become a beloved Fieldston tradition and will continue to be held annually in hopes of expanding Fieldston’s outreach and making everyone feel a part of this large, thriving community.
