If you played sports in high school or college, you know some of the things that make those experiences unforgettable are the roar of the crowd, the blaring of the band, hearing your name announced over the sound system, and the bond between teammates. It was the highlight of your hard work. A summer of conditioning in the heat, knocking heads with your teammates, and having your coach grab you by the face mask and chew you out had been all you knew of your sport up until this point. But now it’s all worth it. You get to fight against fresh blood, and you get all the hype and glory that goes with it.
Not everyone gets to have this experience. Some are too lazy to deserve it. Some are too weak willed to get that far along and quit when things aren’t fun. However, others may have the heart and will of a champion but were just born with a body or mind that isn’t capable of competitive sports at that level. Maybe it’s Down Syndrome. Maybe it’s autism. Maybe they had a stroke or accident and are bound to spend their days in a wheelchair. There are many things that can just make life more challenging for some than it is for those of us who were more blessed.
Every now and then, dumb luck and the will of God come together and allow things to happen that no one could have foreseen. A few years ago, I was competing heavily in Strongman. I was filling out an entry form one day, and I noticed that the contest was being run in conjunction with a Special Olympics weightlifting demonstration. Being an adaptive physical education teacher (in other words, I play with students with special needs all day), this really peaked my interest. My school was getting ready to have a big event, which was going to include a Strongman contest, and I thought this would be a great way to allow some of our students with disabilities to be included in something they don’t normally get to do.
The original plan was to bring in some of the top-ranked amateur Strongmen from around our area for a contest. We would then “team them up” with some of our special needs students from our district. As our special services and football/strength and conditioning staff met and discussed how to make this happen, we realized we were completely missing the point. High school athletes need to be challenged. They need to be forced to reach outside of their comfort zones in order to grow. This isn’t only true in the weight room and on the practice field but in their roles as members of the community. This was a perfect way to make that happen, and we could allow them to show off the results of their hard work in the weight room.
So “Partners in Strength” was born. However, as we thought about it and planned it, the focus consistently shifted. It ended up focusing more on our students with special needs and less on the athletes. The irony in this is that the more the athletes are put into a service role, the more they will take away from it.
Fast forward three years to now. We’ve just finished with the Third Annual Partners in Strength Rally. Over 60 special needs students, 100 high school athletes, and 65 adult volunteers from our school participated. What was once an idea to let maybe 10 kids be around some adult role models has grown to include six times that many. These students may have anything from mental retardation, autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, or traumatic brain injuries to even something as small as a mild speech issue or learning disability. The point is that on this night, they aren’t any different than the athletes they see compete on the football field or basketball court. They are all on the same team.
The night starts the way any good event should—with tons of food. The athletes and special needs students are split into 12 even teams. They eat burgers and hot dogs together while coming up with team names and designing their team T-shirts. This usually starts a little awkwardly because they don’t know each other, and to be honest, it isn’t easy for some people to be around those who may be a bit different. However, I want it to be a bit awkward because it creates tension, which then forms bonds as the tension is overcome and the athletes realize, “Hey, these kids really are no different than I am in a lot of ways.” Within about 10 minutes you can see, hear, and even feel a difference. Friendships are formed. These kids are all hilarious with personalities that just make people want to be around them. In no time, the high school kids are as attached to the kids as the kids are to them.
The next thing we do is line the teams up for what we call the “Parade of Champions.” One by one, the teams enter the gym waving their team flag. They come through a tunnel with music blaring, lines of cheerleaders waving pom-poms, a smoke machine cranking out smoke, and the football and basketball announcer for our school naming them off individually. Our athletes get this treatment all the time, but the students with special needs don’t. This is a big deal to them, to walk into the gym in front of their parents while holding hands with the all-state wrestler or basketball player.
This year we had the privilege of honoring our country by having a high school student sing the National Anthem while two of our hearing impaired students did it in sign language alongside her. After this, we started the events. Our team events usually consist of relays/obstacle courses. They can be sports themed or have a team challenge goal such as moving objects together through different obstacles. The main thing is that the athletes are with our kids every step of the way. Usually, we have time for about 3–4 events, and with music cranking and the announcer calling it like a game, it stays energetic.
Between each event, we have lifting demos with our athletes. This is a huge deal to the students with special needs. They go crazy every time one of our athletes grinds out a big lift. This year some of our best lifts were a 450-lb squat, a 505-lb deadlift, and a 330-lb bench, all by sophomores. However, we celebrate every lift that is a PR, whether it’s a big weight or a small one. This year we had a high school student with special needs hit a PR bench of 160 lbs. This was great because last year he hit 130 lbs. It was great to see his progress. It’s a blast watching the kids get jacked up to lift in front of a crowd of 400–500 people. They all crush their weights and come back to us shocked at how easy it was.
Often we will highlight particular kids with a disability of some sort and let them be the star of the show. We had one student in a wheelchair do a military press with 5-lb dumbbells for reps. The crowd went crazy counting his reps. Given his limitations, this was an amazing thing to witness. One of the all-time best moments was when Howie, our resident weight room stud who likes throwing down his 115-lb deadlifts, talking smack to the football guys, and hitting on the ladies, gave a deadlifting demo. He made his special entrance to “Sexy Boy” playing on the loudspeakers wearing his WWE championship belt and tiger striped cowboy hat. He then hit a huge PR deadlift of 140 lbs and hit it for a double. He brought down the house.
We wrap the night up with an autograph session at the end where the kids sign each other’s T-shirts. The weird thing is that while the night started out awkwardly, it ends with the kids not wanting to leave their new friends. This event never fails to bring tears to the eyes of the adults who are there. The athletes and students are too busy having fun to realize what is actually going on, but the adults are sitting back and watching those who have to overcome disabilities actually making our gifted athletes better. The athletes put aside their own preconceived notions and grow because they are forced outside of their comfort zone.
The biggest thing that anyone could take away from the event is that while a big bench or squat may make you able to lift some big weight, it isn’t your PR that makes you strong. It is what it takes to get there. People who have been through the fire with injuries and setbacks, trials and hardships, and have never lost sight of what they want to accomplish are those who are strong. These kids with disabilities live through this on a day to day basis. The things we take for granted, such as walking or living an independent life, are their goals and PRs. They are the definition of strong.
If you’re a coach at the high school level, I highly recommend you try something like this at your school. You will enjoy watching your athletes grow in such a short period of time. If you have any questions on how to implement this in your school, feel free to email me at jgold@willard.k12.mo.us.