Tulsa Coaches Organize At-Home Event For Special Olympic Athletes

Sporting events across Green Country have been canceled due to COVID-19, including the Tulsa Public School District Special Olympics scheduled for Saturday at Catoosa High School.  

Instead of no athlete participation at all, coaches were able to bring the games to their computers.

18-year-old Andrew Berret trained all year for Saturday.  

Berret, who has Down syndrome, was set to compete in the 100-meter run and soft ball throw.

Berret instead threw balls in his living room and his smile proves he didn’t mind.

"It's the highlight of their year,” Berret’s sister, Molly Juarez, said. “Even though we were in our living room, he took it seriously. It was his competition.”

Coach Janet Parker decided to host the event through Zoom.

"We had a lot of heartbroken kids, so I just thought we can still cheer and have those relationships and use the Zoom tool to participate at home,” Parker said.  

Athletes from Tulsa Public Schools other school districts such as Catoosa were invited by Parker to participate.  

Athletes could play games like flowerpot bowling and a hallway belly crawl in the comfort of their own homes.

Parker said it was more about camaraderie than competition.

"Distance doesn't have to separate us,” Parker said. “It is just vital to reach out at this time, especially those who are forgotten. We just have to make that effort.”  

"We are not in a common space,” Juarez said. “It just really brought the team closer.”

Berret also ended his crawl with a few push-ups, showing everyone that neither distance nor disability can stop him.

The state’s Special Olympics have also been canceled, so Parker hopes to plan another Zoom event with her athletes next month.