It was a sunny day at the Bill Hughes Park in Rocklin, California, where long-time Special Olympics Northern California athlete Bud Hawley sat, ready to be interviewed. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, time was short as other athletes trickled into the park for soccer practice. Hawley has only been with the team for a short period, but he has already left an impression. With his friendly smile and focused work-ethic, he’s set up for the most success.
Though short on time, he agreed to sit down for a couple of minutes and share his experiences with Special Olympics over nearly three decades. When others end practice exhausted, Hawley is always upbeat and in a positive mood and ready to play. Hawley recalls the story of joining Special Olympics with enthusiasm, saying, “When I participated in Special Olympics for the very first time with my community team, we wouldn’t play tournaments until 2007, but I liked to practice with my friends.”
Hawley knew the coach from church and was told that a Unified soccer team was being put together and was asked if he wanted to play. He was excited about the idea. He added that he was asked to play goalie, “It’s funny because at 12 [years old], I played soccer and my coach back then put me in as a goalie too. And here I am 26 years later, I’m still a goalie!”
And while Hawley loves the game of soccer and has grown within the Special Olympics community, when asked if there was anything that he would like people to know about people with intellectual disabilities, he excitedly responded, “Well, I would say that we are awesome! And just because we operate one way doesn’t mean that we don’t want to operate in another way. Some people assume we are all the same; we’re not. Playing on a Unified team with neurotypical people means that we break that barrier, and it brings us together.”
As the practice went deeper into the night and the sun set, Hawley’s words remained true. Special Olympics Unified Sports® teams allow individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to compete together on the field, proving thatjust because an athlete and a Unified partner might think differently, it doesn’t mean they want or deserve to be treated differently.
At that moment on a soccer field in Rocklin, California, there were no barriers between players. They were just athletes.
