By Yaneli Guajardo
Lake Forest College had the chance to redefine the word “special” as it hosted the annual Region B Special Olympics Aquatics Meet on Saturday, March 23 at the Sports and Recreation Center. Over 190 athletes from Lake, McHenry, and Northern Cook county came to campus to compete in a range of swimming events from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lake Forest has hosted the Special Olympics Aquatics Meet since 2011, when the NCAA Division III established a partnership with Special Olympics Illinois in an effort to create a mutual learning experience for both college athletes and Special Olympic athletes.
The aquatics meet was run with help from Marketing and Special Events Manager, Ashley Wanland, who had this to say about being able to be involved, “this meet has become a very special tradition at the College that we are proud to host every year. The smiles and joy that beam across the participants’ faces after looking at the scoreboard or when they are waiting to receive their medal is incredibly infectious and inspiring to our own student-athletes.”
The program was off to an amazing start when it was reported that of the 50 volunteers requested, nearly 130 Forester students had registered to help, a record number that prompted Region B Illinois Manager of Sports, Michelle Mark, to highlight that it was the most she had ever seen. The amount of students willing to volunteer for the event reflects the sense of community that events like this foster.
Members of the Lake Forest College swimming and diving team were able to watch the meet from the pool deck with the Special Olympic athletes. “My favorite part of being a swimmer and volunteering is seeing how happy it makes the athletes. It’s such a little thing for us to do, but it’s awesome to see how happy the athletes are when competing," comments member of the men's swimming and diving team Stephen Dwyer '21.
Despite the loud and energetic atmosphere, the athletes who participated remained focused and determined to earn a spot in the 2019 Summer Games that will be held at Illinois State University from June 7 to 9.
Michelle Mark introduced members of Stentor staff to a Global Messenger for Special Olympics Illinois, Katie Millan. Millian who competed in the 25-meter and 50-meter freestyle began swimming just three to four years ago. When asked what her greatest takeaway from swimming was, she beamed “getting to meet new people and getting to compete."