When Scott Oftedahl and Montrell Sippel, seniors at Andrew High School, met a couple of 12 months in the past, they’d no concept that their new friendship would quickly take them to Washington, DC.
The duo was chosen to symbolize Special Olympics Illinois on a nationwide degree and can journey to Washington for Lobby Day in February.
“We are the primary to be chosen to go to Washington,” Sippel stated. “We will foyer in entrance of a number of legislators to realize assist for the Special Olympics.”
They met final winter and have been named captains of the Tinley Park faculty’s Unified Sports basketball crew.
“Montrell got here in freshman 12 months and we met and began seeing one another at completely different packages and golf equipment,” Oftedahl stated. “We met enjoying Unified collectively and have become nearer as teammates and buddies.”
Their efforts embody advocating for Special Olympics Unified Sports, a program they’ve discovered success in at Andrew. They hope to see Unified Sports proceed its present choices by increasing so others can reap the advantages.
Unified Sports packages permit student-athletes with mental disabilities to be teammates with student-athletes with out disabilities to compete in a wide range of sports activities, together with basketball, soccer and monitor and area. Andrew is considered one of a number of highschool Special Olympics Illinois Unified Champions. Others within the area embody Homewood-Flossmoor in Flossmoor, Thornton Township in Harvey, Shepard in Palos Heights, Eisenhower in Blue Island, Richards in Oak Lawn, Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights and Mother McAuley in Chicago. Several elementary and center faculties within the space additionally supply unified sports activities.
Oftedahl and Sippel already had some expertise advocating on behalf of Unified Sports as members of the Unified Generation Committee. This group of athletes meets month-to-month with different student-athlete pairs like them.
“You get to fulfill different folks and find out about inclusion and respect,” Sippel stated. “It’s very good to maintain going again there and be taught various things that you’ve got by no means discovered earlier than. It’s good to be taught extra about respecting folks and inclusiveness.”
Last spring the companions had intensive conversations with representatives from Special Olympics Illinois, who requested their presence on the committee.
The expertise not solely gave them the chance to make new friendships with different athletes and companions throughout the state, but in addition to discover ways to be an inclusive chief, easy methods to proceed to foster relationships that promote inclusion past highschool, easy methods to navigate immediately’s world by means of social media and extra.
They will now head to the US Capitol.
“They are actually making historical past as the primary companions to serve on this committee,” stated Nowal Shalash, a particular schooling trainer at Andrew who can also be a Special Olympics coach. “These guys are the proper couple for this. They embody what it means to be a united couple, inside and outside. They are leaders who their buddies look as much as and who their buddies look as much as as position fashions. There aren’t any hints; it comes so naturally. So Lobby Day in Washington shall be unbelievable.”
Washington lawmakers will get a firsthand account from the couple on how being simply considered one of twelve Illinois faculties to be named a National Unified Champion Banner School by Special Olympics North America is impacting their scholar physique.
“They are real, good human beings and they can show it,” Shalash stated. “This is often not seen in how they motivated their friends. The kids are following them. They attend all our video games.”
Others have definitely taken be aware.
“From the start, Scott and Montrell have created an unbelievable friendship and that’s the basis of their complete relationship,” Shalash stated. “The two of them have management qualities, and after they’re collectively they’re simply an unstoppable duo.”
These leaders lead and revel in enjoying sports activities with their friends.
“Montrell is a superb chief and can ask you the way your day went and may be very candid,” Oftedahl stated. “On the pitch he is aware of easy methods to take cost, manages coaching properly and requires work ethic from different folks. And as an individual, he’s an A+ man, at all times able to contact you at any time. He is a superb household man. He met my aunt as soon as and texted her ‘Happy Thanksgiving!’”
Sippel stated his accomplice at all times has his again in addition to these of others.
“He’s an incredible man and can at all times test on you in case you’re down and ask in the event that they’re OK,” she stated. “He is a really distinctive chief.”
Both are main their fellow student-athletes on enjoyable adventures on and off the sector, whereas friendships are blossoming due to the expansion of Unified Sports.
“You do not need to be a basketball participant to get on a court docket and play,” Oftedahl stated. “We can all play along with completely different athletic and bodily talents. It’s an incredible alternative to compete. We at all times give our greatest in coaching and matches and attempt to enhance. Unified Sports allowed us to come back collectively and it is a good time.”
So many classes about navigating life have already been shared as Andrew earned Special Olympics Unified Champion School recognition.
“We meet different folks from different faculties and present respect for very aggressive sports activities whereas attempting to win,” Sippel stated. “At the identical time all of us respect one another. If we fall or get injured, we assist one another. What I like most about Unified (Sports) is that you just be taught to assist others. You be taught to maintain your head excessive. And maintain attempting to do your finest at what you do.
And they’ll do their finest to convey that message after they journey to Washington quickly
CR Walker is a contract reporter for the Daily Southtown.
