Area students participate in Leadership Experience

Fredonia and Silver Creek students participated in the Youth Leadership Experience at the New York State Special Olympics 2024 Summer Games.

On June 14, students from Fredonia and 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. Imari Alverio and Miriam LaBarr from Fredonia, met up with Julie Decker, Jonathan Pilski, Lily Prince Rivera, and Jacob Schwab, from Silver Creek for 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 game 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 closing ceremonies. They also needed to find someone who was from an area closest to their homeschool, 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 game, the athletes, and the stories that come with being a Special Olympic Participant.

The morning of June 15 brought great excitement as the group was able to attend Volleyball games, Powerlifting, 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 Powerlifting, and how the swimmers are organized for their events to keep the meet moving in a timely fashion. Other sports occurring at the Summer Games included Track and Field, Basketball, Bowling, and Tennis. Unfortunately, these events were held at offsite locations, making it difficult for the students to attend these events.

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 to have a Spread the Word Banner promoting Inclusion for all individuals, signed and also offered the opportunity for individuals to tell their Special Olympic story.

When the ceremonies 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.

Schwab, a senior from Silver Creek attending the games for the first time stated, “It was great to see all 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.”

Decker, also a senior at Silver Creek was attending the games for a second time, as she also attended the Fall Games in 2022, stated she really enjoyed getting to see behind the scenes of the events, especially Powerlifting. “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.”

LaBarr, a senior from Fredonia, attending her first games, commented on her interest in learning how to continue her participation as she graduates from high school and moves on to the college level.

As the weekend drew to a close, the smiles, joys, and excitement of the weekend left everyone feeling as they had won a gold medal.

The chaperones from both schools, Kristin Tomaszewski, Fredonia; Janet Decker, Silver Creek; and Bonnie Pilski, Silver Creek; all 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.