On Saturday, March 19, 2022, Forester student-athletes, coaches, and staff gathered at the Sports and Recreation Center to cheer on Special Olympic swimmers from the Lake, McHenry and North Suburban Cook County areas at the annual Region B Special Olympics Aquatic Meet. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first Region B meet held at Lake Forest College since the spring of 2019.
Gold medal winners in their respective divisions qualified for the State Summer Games, which will be held June 17-19, 2022, in Normal, IL. From the Region B meet, 55 athletes qualified for Summer Games.
Forester volunteers assisted with various aspects of the meet, including timing, officiating, lifeguarding, escorting swimmers, medal ceremonies, as well as announcing. Their hard work throughout the day resulted in a great meet for the participants. SAAC Advisor and Volleyball Head Coach Katie Rueffer reflected, “It was such a joy to work with Special Olympics on campus this year and I really enjoyed seeing our student-athletes interact with the Special Olympics athletes. The smiles on everyone’s faces were priceless. I think it’s important for our athletes to give back, and especially with this organization, our student-athletes can share the passion of sport with the Special Olympics athletes they are helping. I think the support, courage, and joy that the Special Olympics athletes genuinely share with one another is inspiring for myself and our athletes as well."
For many Forester student-athletes, this was their first opportunity to volunteer at this event. Rebekkah De Kok, freshman volleyball athlete and Karya Dean, junior women’s ice hockey athlete, were both on hand for the first time on Saturday.
They each served as pool escorts, assisting athletes from the staging area, to the pool for their race and then to the awards area. De Kok reflected, “At first I was a little nervous. I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to work and what I'd be doing. But it was so much fun getting to help and talk with the athletes! It was cool getting to help them do what they love!” Dean echoed those sentiments as well, “I enjoyed being an escort, it allowed me the chance talk to the athletes and watched them race.”
NCAA Division III and Special Olympics began a partnership in 2011 and Lake Forest College is honored to support this important and impactful initiative. The partnership focuses on fostering a mutual learning experience between DIII student-athletes and Special Olympians. Michelle Mark, Region B Assistant Director, remarked, “Special Olympics Illinois Region B is thrilled with the partnership established with Lake Forest College. The student-athlete support for this event is unlike any other competition with Lake Forest College athletics supplying 100% of our volunteers. The energy and support the students bring to this event year after year is inspiring. This year, Special Olympics Illinois did not allow spectators to attend; however, the pool was constantly full of loud cheering giving the Special Olympics athletes the motivation they needed to finish the race. Special Olympics Illinois Region B looks forward to the continued partnership with Lake Forest College athletics for years to come."
The Lake Forest College Athletic department would like to thank everyone for their contributions in providing an exceptional experience for the participants and looks forward to making a splash with the Special Olympics Region B meet next year.
You can view a photo album of the event here.