Mommy Life: Something to cheer about: Athlete-to-Athlete

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November 4, 2006 10:50 AM

Something to cheer about: Athlete-to-Athlete

My Loudoun Times-Mirror column for 11/1. Only here, I can show you the pictures, too!

Where everyone is a winner
How pumped up do you get dashing down a line of pompom-waving cheerleaders whooping up your arrival? Ask a big burly football player how much that enthusiasm helps him give it all he’s got.

Or ask my not-quite-ready-for-athletic-prime-time son Jonny, who got the thrill of a lifetime Saturday morning running through the cheer tunnel into the gym at Dominion High.

Inside, the scene was set to keep the pizzazz going: A couple dozen student athletes who’d set aside their own dreams and desires for a little while to help 17 individuals with developmental disabilities realize a few of their own.

Four of those individuals were my sons – fourteen-year-old Jonny and his three brothers Jesse (11), Daniel (10), and Justin (6) snagged an invitation because they all have Down syndrome (Since Jonny’s birth, we’ve adopted three from the same chromosomal tribe).

For special needs kids, invitations can be few and far between. Plus I know a good thing when I see it. My RSVP was in the fax machine within minutes.

Doing my research beforehand, I discovered that Dominion High Athletic Director Joe Fleming had established the Athlete-to-Athlete program in 1999 in Ashburn. Now with the help of student director Andrew Livingstone, Fleming was set for a second launch in Sterling, beginning with a volleyball program which would pair special needs athletes – of all ages and ability levels – with Dominion athletes for “instruction, competition and camaraderie.”

When Coach Fleming calls this a win/win situation, he knows what he’s talking about. From the parents on the sidelines – always grateful for opportunities to help their kids reach their potential – to the special needs players who practiced setting, serving and spiking the ball, it was two hours well spent.

But what about the student athletes – and the big bonus of the cheerleaders whose enthusiasm and generous spirit blasted the event into another dimension – who gave it all not just in demonstrating skills, but in smiles, high-fives and hugs?

What may not be so obvious that they are the winners too.

One thing I’ve learned in my mothering journey – with eight “normal” kids and four with special needs – is that all of us have disabilities. It’s just that in a culture which emphasizes physical perfection and mental achievement, those with serious shortcomings in other areas can still get by. Which is why I prefer the term differently-abled to disabled.

What was happening Saturday morning is what I’ve observed in full-inclusion situations all of my sons’ lives: it’s not just about us helping them reach their potential but about them helping us reach ours. So while I was grateful for the opportunity for my sons, I was equally thrilled to see the student athletes stretch themselves to learn how to assess and meet the unique needs of each special player.

It left all the parents hoping for more. Coach Fleming plans another event in January with another sport. I’m hoping our kids won’t have to wait that long, hoping this might become a signature LCPS program.

Who can resist a win/win?