Special Olympics Show Special Needs and Typical Kids the Meaning of ‘Team’

This is Part 2 of a series of articles about Wilton High School senior Kate Ukropina and some incredible classmates and friends that she has in her life.

Saturday night June 7 was a once-in-a-lifetime magical event for Kate Ukropina–the Wilton High School senior was crowned Prom Queen, chosen when her classmates organized a concerted effort to get her chosen as their royal.

What made the moment so incredible was that Kate has cerebral palsy and cognitive delays, and her classmates wanted to make sure she had the moment to remember, because they wanted her to feel special. As fellow WHS senior Nicole Berg–who introduced the idea of choosing Kate to the graduating class–explained, “Kate has always valued acceptance from her peers. She’s always tried to be part of every social group and is very friendly. She’s always the first person to congratulate someone, on even the smallest thing–if she overhears you did well on a test, she’ll come over and give you a hug, because she’s so happy for you. She’s just the most kind-hearted person. Everyone knows her, not because of her special needs, but because she’s so friendly,”

If it had just been Saturday, that would have been magical enough. But then came Sunday, June 8, the day Kate competed in the Special Olympics Connecticut as a gymnast, something she’s done for the last 5 years.

Kate’s mom, Kimber Felton, said that it’s breathtaking to watch Kate compete and to cheer for her on the medal stand as she accepts her medals. She’s grateful to the Wilton Family Y for running the program and to Chris Foley who coordinates special needs programs there, and Mary Ann Genuario, the Health and Fitness director, as well as to the other staff like Joanna Rodriguez and Kelsey Ettinger.

For instance, Kimber says Joanna “has the touch.”

“She’s a trainer there and just started getting involved with [the Y special needs integration program] ‘Friends and Buddies’ last year. She got the bug and now works with special Olympics at the Y. She’s someone who gets such joy out of working with these kids, and treats them like typical kids–she treats all the kids equally, and jokes with them that there is no distinction between abled or challenge, they all get treated the same.”

Kimber says Chris Foley “is an amazingly kind person and just wants to see the kids out there enjoying life to their fullest. She gets more teary than me.  What she is creating at the Y shows how dedicated she for all kids to experience the highs and lows of competition.  She has transformed their programs. When she started there was just Special Gymnastics now there is swimming, and track and field, and they plan on adding bocce ball and floor hockey this fall. She also has added “Roaring Twenties,” a weekly group for kids over age 20, many who lack a social group and this provides a safe and fun place for these adults to hang out.”

Helping Chris create the Y’s special needs programming is Kelsey Ettinger, who Kimber says is “an incredibly kind, patient and caring person who just wants to see all these kids have fun.”

It’s clear that the team does it not for themselves but for their dedication to the athletes. Kimber recounted a story from last year’s games when Mary Ann almost got kicked out of the track and field competition because one of Wilton athletes didn’t want to run without her cheering him on:  “She got right on that field and yelled her head off,” Kimber laughs.

The Typical Peers–friends and coaches

While she’s thrilled her daughter is part of the program, what Kimber feels is even more meaningful and truly touching is the group of Kate’s typical peers who help coach and support her daughter as she trains and takes part in all of the Special Olympics activities. She mentions Wilton teens Paige Gladstein, Chloe Rigby and Megan Graham.

“These girls work so hard with the team. They spend every Monday night, help at extra practices. They hold kids’ hands as they do the balance beam, and on the sidelines, to coach them. They’re all really laid-back kids who love what they do,” Kimber says.

In fact the commitment runs so deep that many of the high school senior girls who coached the Special Olympics athletes cut short their prom celebrations the night before so that they could make sure to be at the Games on time at 9 a.m. the next morning, at Southern CT State University in Hamden.

Megan Graham was once such senior who didn’t mind making the sacrifice.

“It’s been really fun and really rewarding to work with the athletes,” she says. “It’s good that they get the experience of being part of a team, they have to learn the routines and they get to be involved in the sport.” That’s a great acknowledgement of how the program lets the athletes be part of a group experience, surrounded by friends, especially when the real world may have placed obstacles to those exact experiences in their way.

Paige Gladstein is a freshman who has been a competitive gymnast since preschool, all the way up through level 7. As a young girl, she watched the older gymnasts not only compete, but also volunteer their time coaching the Special Olympics athletes at the Wilton Family Y.

“I had always wanted to do it, I loved watching it. They inspired me to take it up.”

Working with the athletes “It’s a blast, the girls are always coming in with smiles, it’s always so fun and there’s never a dull moment. As a freshman, it was different being younger and coaching older girls. I didn’t know how they would feel. But as I got to know them, I loved it. It’s always fun in the gym,” she said.

Watching and coaching during her first competition this past weekend, Paige was glad to see the work the athletes had put in pay off. “Seeing them on the awards stand, and they were so happy, I was so lucky to be a part of it.” She’s looking forward to continue coaching through the next three years of high school.

She said coaching the team will have a lasting impact:  “It changed me as an athlete, as a person. Maybe I’ll do this when I’m older, helping other people and always appreciating what I have how grateful I am for these friends around me.” 

For Chloe Rigby, a senior who will head to Boston University this fall, has loved being a coach for the Special Olympics athletes so much, she has decided to continue volunteering for special olympics wherever she goes. “I’ve learned such patience. These girls are there to have fun, be part of the community, to feel just like any other kid.”