If you haven’t already listened to episode 9 where I speak with John and Mark X. Cronin of John’s Crazy Socks, check that out to hear our conversation about their amazing mission and connection with the Special Olympics. Following that episode, I wanted to share how I first learned about the Special Olympics and discovered what it meant to be a part of something bigger than myself.
I’ve shared a bit about my high school and college basketball career in previous episodes, and in today’s episode, I want to highlight one of the most pivotal games of my career. Flashback to a snowy game night on the outskirts of Cedar Rapids, Iowa一just a typical Tuesday in the middle of winter for my Kennedy High School team. Two of our biggest fans, Ryan and Greg, were in the crowd. They had differing mental capabilities and were known throughout the town for going to all of the city’s sporting events. The warmups and 20minute countdown to tip-off were going as planned, when all of the sudden, the legendary University of Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summitt, and her assistant coach Mickie DeMoss, walked in. Summit accrued 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement, and took home eight NCAA Division I basketball championship titles, so you can imagine what an honor it was to have her recruiting and watching my game.
You would think that’s what made the game so special, but it was actually the car ride home that sticks in my memory. My parents and I gave Ryan and Greg a ride home, and they shared passionately about their upcoming Special Olympics game. This conversation sparked a shift in my relationship with them, and I started to view them as true friends and fellow athletes instead of superfans. Listen to today’s episode to hear more about how I first learned about the Special Olympics and discovered what it meant to be a part of something bigger than myself.
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[00:00:00] Anne O'Neil: Hey, Hey, GBLS welcome to get busy living a podcast that brings inspiring people together to discover what ignites them to be bigger than themselves. I'm your host Anne O'Neil.
[00:00:18] Our conversation last episode with John and mark from John's crazy socks was so inspiring about their mission to spread happiness, hire people with different capabilities and giving back to the special Olympics and other charities. Coming off that episode, I want to share a story of personal discovery, my introduction to special Olympics and how I discovered what it meant to be a part of something bigger than myself.
[00:00:43] Back in Cedar rapids, Iowa. When I was in high school, we had two older gentlemen named Ryan and Greg that had differing mental capabilities. They were well-known throughout town for going to all of the city's sporting events. They would always sit in the front row and keep statistics for every high school.
[00:01:00] After my basketball games at Kennedy high school, they would wait for me to come out of the locker room, along with the newspaper reporters and my family win or lose Ryan and Greg were always the first to approach me. And for five minutes they would passionately rehash the big plays, my personal stats.
[00:01:17] And of course, any turnovers I have. Then came one of the most memorable games of my high school career. It was a Tuesday night during my junior year. We were playing a team on the outskirts of town in the middle of January. And in typical Iowa fashion, there was a huge snow storm. We were in warmups and I saw two women walk in.
[00:01:39] People were starting to point and whisper as they scrolled up the bleachers to an empty area. My high school coach pulled me aside and told me legendary university of Tennessee head coach, pat summit, and our assistant coach Mickie DeMoss took a chartered flight just to watch this game and me play. If you can imagine being a 16 year old, who was in love with the game of basketball, having pat summit, the greatest coach in women's college basketball at your high school game.
[00:02:08] It was kind of a big deal, but that is not truly the highlight of the story. The real story takes place in the 30 minute car ride back home after the. Following the game. I came out of the locker room and I saw the newspaper reporters, my parents and Ryan and Greg. But instead of taking the time for a post-game chat, we were ushered out of the gym.
[00:02:29] As the snow storm had gotten much worse and dumped at close to eight inches of snow bundling up in the blowing wind. There wasn't much discussion as my family quickly helped Ryan and Greg into our family minivan. So they didn't have to wait for the bus in the middle of the blizzard. During that 30 minute car ride back to downtown Cedar rapids.
[00:02:50] You would've thought the conversation would have been about my game or pat summit, but seriously, none of this even came up. I sat in the back in the third row of the minivan and listened to Ryan and Greg share passionately about their upcoming game they had on Saturday for the special Olympics. We heard every detail from who their opponent was, their Jersey number of each player.
[00:03:14] How many points they had scored last game and which reps would be the best one there for Saturday. They asked me to come to the game and I promised I would be there to cheer them on and support their team. Looking back what took place in that car ride was a transformative moment in my life. Not only was I introduced to the inclusive team spirit of the special Olympics, but the bigger story that night.
[00:03:38] With how there was a shift in seeing Ryan and Greg as local superfans transform into being true friends and an integral part of my high school career. As a 16 year old, it was easy to get caught up in what I thought was important, like winning the game or having college coaches and the bleachers. But the greatest gift was the lesson of listening to their story.
[00:04:01] I was exposed to a new aspect of who they were and what mattered most to. It was an experience I have taken with me since that night, because when you listen and connect to one story, people really share what lights them up. And you might just discover a new dimension to a world bigger than yourself.