My3KidsMom
Cheer Parent
- Dec 14, 2009
- 891
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As someone who has been involved with Special Olympics since I was a little kid, I know those athletes deserve to be scored. Give them a jacket, don't give them a jacket, but score them. At Special Olympics, everyone gets something...but the top 3 get medals...no different than the Olympics. They know and understand what competition is. If they get a 4th place ribbon, they know they need to work harder for the bronze, ect.
I have been involved in several different Special Olympic sports, and each had it's own way of keeping the playing field level...but the constant throughout it all was competition.
These athletes don't place limits on themselves, why should we?[/quote]
This is what it really comes down too.
I think it depends on the athlete. My daughter has worn her NCA jacket every single day since she won it. She is incredibly proud of itThis is very true. I work with a special needs team and they were not given jackets. To be entirely honest getting out there and doing what they do is worth way more than any jacket.
I have to agree with this. The kids on our team want to know where they stand. They want to know what place they are in. My daughter has Down syndrome and is very aware of placings, rankings and wants to be just like all the other teams. They get just as much feedback on their placing as any other team. This is the feeling of 95% of the kids on our team and we have all ranges of disabilities.I say rank them. If they don't want to be ranked, they could exhibition. If they're in a competition they're in it to win...not to just be a heartwarming division. (Which they are, I love special needs teams.) I think it would be the most fair to treat them as you would treat any other division. I know I'd want that for my child.
The division is getting large enough that it can start being divided into more equable divisions. Just like level ones don't compete with level fives, special needs has enough diversity that as the division evolves, ways to split it will start to become more apparent, such as how independent teams vs teams with helpers on the floor.I get that they want to be treated the same but i feel like it would be very difficult to rank considering its pretty hard to rank them when say your ranking children in a wheelchair compared to all able bodies. Or even a child who is deaf and blind compared to a higher functioning child. Just trying to put in a different perspective. :)
The division is getting large enough that it can start being divided into more equable divisions. Just like level ones don't compete with level fives, special needs has enough diversity that as the division evolves, ways to split it will start to become more apparent, such as how independent teams vs teams with helpers on the floor.
As to scoring the teams: Yes. Without a doubt, yes. Special Olympics have been running competitions for 40+ years without harming the athletes, so I think we will probably be okay. To be frank, there are generally two types of athletes that I've been able to work with and meet over the years. Some of them have severe disabilities and are probably not completely award of the aspects of competing. For them, the scoring is irrelevent. But a great many know exactly what competing and winning and losing is all about. And for them, the scoring is very important. They want to know how they did. Will a 16 year old on a special needs team understand winning and losing like other 16 year olds? Maybe not, but they will understand it like others that are 14 or 11 or 9 or 7. Do those age athletes know about winning or losing? You bet they do.
And it's also important for the parents. Not a lot of them will necessarily admit it, but I know from the hundreds of parents that I've met over the last 10 years. I know it in the way they say "thank you" and have to stop. Because it's very important that they are able to provide their child a chance to compete and share the stage with the hundreds of other athletes competing. NO OTHER SPORT IN THE WORLD lets all these groups compete together at one time.
It's all important and this sport has benefited tremendously from the generousity shown be everyone over the last 10 years. The phrase "you get more than you give" has never been more true.