Division III student-athletes and Special Olympics athletes participated in a Special Olympics Unified Sports activity at the NCAA Convention in Phoenix on Thursday. Special Olympics Unified Sports teams bring together students with and without intellectual disabilities to promote meaningful social inclusion. This year's activity brought Division III and Special Olympics athletes together to participate in various sports and games, including Spikeball, Jenga and cornhole.
Hosted annually at the NCAA Convention, the Special Olympics Unified Sports activity is a key component of the long-standing partnership between Division III and Special Olympics. Established in 2011, the partnership aims to enhance the lives of Division III student-athletes and Special Olympics athletes through a mutual learning experience, provide a platform for recognition of Special Olympics athletes and Division III student-athletes within their communities, and raise awareness of Special Olympics programs and services. Thirteen years after the partnership was initiated by Division III SAAC at the 2011 NCAA Convention, its impact continues to grow.
"To be involved with Special Olympics means everything to me," said Adaobi Nebuwa, a women's basketball student-athlete at Colby and a Division III SAAC representative who attended this year's activity. "I love the community and I love the energy. It's truly a great experience to interact with Special Olympic athletes and my peers."
For siblings Jack and Katie Langan, the partnership between Division III SAAC and Special Olympics is especially meaningful. Jack Langan is a baseball student-athlete at Cornell College and the incoming chair of Division III SAAC, while Katie Langan is a Special Olympics athlete. Special Olympics Unified Sports allows the siblings to participate in sports and activities as members of the same team. Both Jack and Katie Langan attended this year's Convention event.
"(My favorite part is) being part of a team," Katie Langan said. "Inclusion is important."
"(Special Olympics) just enriches my athletic experience at the Division III level," Jack Langan added. "I'm able to give back to a community that I care about so much, and I'm able to work with my sister and other athletes in a unified way."
The partnership remains a top priority for NCAA Division III SAAC throughout the year as student-athletes are encouraged to participate in and create Special Olympics events on their individual campuses and within their communities. Service activities with Special Olympics athletes vary across the country and can range from sports clinics to fundraising efforts.
"On my campus we have a lot of different events," said Zackary Durr, track and field student-athlete at Vermont State Castleton and Division III SAAC member. "We have a Special Olympics basketball game twice a semester. It's a cool way to be able to incorporate our Special Olympics athletes into our varsity athletics community."
Still, the annual NCAA Convention activity remains a highlight of the partnership for many participants.
"This was something we were all looking forward to," Durr said. "It's one of the best events of Convention."
"We do this every year, and I think it's amazing," Nebuwa added. "I truly love this experience, and I hope to take it back to my campus as we do every year."
As Jack Langan begins his role as chair of Division III SAAC following the Convention, he looks forward to continuing to watch his sister experience joy and success while embracing the Division III and Special Olympics partnership and expanding its positive impact.
"Just to see my sister flourish in an environment where she's a star, it's at the heart of Special Olympics and everything they do," he said. "I'm really looking to foster this relationship and build off it, not only at the Division III national level but with our conferences and institutions. It's such great community outreach and a great way to better the athletic careers not only of us, but of the people we impact. I think that's the most special aspect of it."
