Although short on time, he agreed to sit down for a few minutes and share his experiences with Special Olympics over nearly three decades. When others end practice exhausted, Hawley is always cheerful, in a positive mood and ready to play. Hawley remembers the story of his participation in the Special Olympics with enthusiasm, saying, “When I competed in the Special Olympics for the very first time with my community team, we didn’t play tournaments until 2007, but I loved practicing with my friends.”
Hawley knew the coach at church and was told that a A united football team was put together and asked if he wanted to play. He was enthusiastic about the idea. He added that he was asked to play goalkeeper: “It’s funny because at 12 years old [years old]I played football and my coach also used me as a goalkeeper at the time. And here I am 26 years later, still a goalkeeper!”
And even though Hawley loves football and has grown within the Special Olympics community, when asked if there was anything he would like people to know about people with an intellectual disabilityhe replied excitedly, “Well, I’d say we’re great! And just because we operate one way doesn’t mean we don’t want to operate another. Some people assume we’re all the same; we’re not. Playing on a unified team with neurotypical people means we’re breaking that barrier, and it brings us together.”
As the practice continued deeper into the night and the sun set, Hawley’s words remained true. Special Olympics Unified Sports® teams allow individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to compete together on the field, proving that precisely because an athlete and a Uniform partner may think differently, this does not mean that they want or deserve to be treated differently.
At that time, on a football field in Rocklin, California, there were no barriers between players. They were just athletes.
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