After claiming the gold at the Special Olympics Florida State Summer Games in May, a group of athletes from Land O’ Lakes will trek to Los Angeles next summer to compete at the 2015 Special Olympics Summer World Games.
The team got the word on July 21 via Skype during a surprise announcement in a mini-auditorium at Land O’ Lakes High School.
(Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes High School)
Coach Vicky King corralled members of the team to the meeting under the guise they would be talking about their gold-medal performance in the state competition at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in May.
But the athletes were really there to hear about their selection as an 11-member contingent of the 15-member Team Florida.
They compete in Division 2 soccer, with seven athletes on each side of the ball. It is a unified team, meaning there are four Special Olympics athletes playing along with three partners, who are there to provide help and support.
The team will join thousands of Special Olympics athletes from 170 nations to compete for international medals for a week beginning July 25, 2015. The games include 21 Olympic-style sports.
School principal Ric Mellin, who answered the Skype call, is delighted by the news.
“Words can’t express how excited I am for these students,” he said. “They put a tremendous amount of effort into preparing for the local games and the state games, and I think the grittiness that they showed impressed the selection group.”
The details regarding costs aren’t yet in, so it is unclear how much the team may need to raise, Mellin said. Besides the trip to L.A., the team also is expecting to spend a week in Indianapolis in a couple months to help prepare.
“If we do need to do some fundraising, that’ll be a wonderful opportunity for the locals here in Land O’ Lakes to provide some additional support,” Mellin said. “We would greatly appreciate it. Our community has always been wonderful when we’ve asked for things in the past, and I’m sure they would step up and help support these students as well.”
Coach King is excited about the experiences that await her athletes.
“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” she said.
King is happy the team is being rewarded for its dedication.
“We worked really, really hard this year,” the coach said.
Valerie Lundin, one of the directors for Pasco County Special Olympics, said Land O’ Lakes High has an exceptional Special Olympics program. The unified teams give athletes with disabilities and those without them a chance to gain a better understanding of each other.
“The premise is they get to know one another, they partner together, they travel together,” she said. “So, when they’re in the mall or the cafeteria, they’re friends.”
Ghaida Shehab said her son, Hassan, who plays on the team, is “very happy” that the team has been selected to compete. After hearing the news, he told Shehab: “See mom? Are you proud of me?”
“I think it’s good for him,” Shehab said, adding she plans to go the games, as well.
Tommy Guglielmello, one of the team’s partners, said he enjoys the role he plays on the team.
“The partners help the game move along,” Guglielmello said. “It’s awesome being out there when they score.”
Published July 30, 2014
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