Year-round activities give athletes opportunities to compete, connect and belong
By Becca Savidge | Photography by Lindsay Metivier
On a warm evening in July, athletes, staff and volunteers from the Special Olympics Orange County program filled the Hargraves Community Center pool with energy. SOOC athletes can participate in swimming – practicing their laps or simply dipping their toes in the water – while enjoying the company of others for several weeks during the summer. After the season wraps up, they can choose to take part in a variety of other activities all year long, including soccer, tennis and basketball. The program’s structure keeps athletes active year-round. Just as important, it offers regular chances to connect with friends and others who share their interests – an opportunity that isn’t always available to them. For many athletes and their parents, that sense of community is the heart of Special Olympics.
“It’s about community,” Linda Guzman says. “Just belonging somewhere.” Her son, Javi Guzman, plays soccer, softball and bocce, in addition to swimming, and the people in the program are the main reason he keeps coming back.
This sentiment rings true for Greg Butler. Greg, who has been with SOOC since October 2023, is an assistant coach, athlete and team member. “I have a lot of favorite parts [of Special Olympics],” he says, “including the connections I’ve formed and regularly fighting stigmas and demonstrating competencies in front of the public.” Greg is an advocate for individuals with disabilities. He believes that more positive inclusion for the demographics he identifies with would help reinforce that individuals who qualify for the Special Olympics possess competencies in several areas.
Regardless of skill level, all qualifying individuals can be a part of SOOC. While several sports have competitive sections, not every athlete participates for the contest aspect. “It holds very little meaning in the scope of things,” Colleen Lanigan, coordinator of SOOC, says. “It’s really about getting together with your friends and exercising, because I believe so much in moving your body.”
Colleen has been with SOOC since 1990 and was inspired to join the Special Olympics because of her sister who was involved in the program in her Virginia hometown. She not only helps to organize events, recruit volunteers and find facilities for athletes to practice in but cares about every individual, saying “hi” to each one of them as they walk in the door for practice.
With 35 years of involvement in the program, Colleen has watched countless athletes grow and flourish. “One of the most lovely things about Special Olympics, which people don’t really realize, is that the sports programming goes through your entire life,” she says. Because there is no age limit for athletes, this aspect accounts for the different levels of competition, as well as the constant growth of the program. When she first started, Colleen had only about 20 athletes playing one sport. Now, SOOC has over 300 athletes and 500 volunteers across dozens of sports, which will continue to grow as more athletes and volunteers join, whether to play their favorite sport or to just belong somewhere with others.
“People need to be connected to other people through whatever your shared interests are,” Colleen says. “So if it’s a knitting club, book club, whatever. It’s an opportunity to be connected to other individuals who share your passion. So in our case, it’s athletics. It’s that venue for socialization and acceptance.”
