Exceptional Foundation volleyball to represent Alabama at Special Olympics USA Games

For four years in a row, the Exceptional Foundation’s volleyball team has won gold medals in state competitions.

Now, they’ll get a chance to compete with teams from other states in the Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando this month.

The Homewood-based foundation, which provides an active social life for youth and adults with intellectual disabilities, has multiple sports programs, including volleyball. The foundation also has a youth center and space for adults, and leads field trips and other events.

Eleven players from the foundation will make the trip to Orlando to compete in the Olympics, which will be held June 5-10. The team leaves June 4 and returns June 12.

“It’s really special,” said the foundation’s public relations director, Robbie Lee.

The team is “pretty darn excited,” Lee said, though it took some time to set in. In early May, as the team practiced to get ready for the games, the trip was all many could talk about, he said.

“It’s in everybody’s conversations a bit more than it was a few months ago,” Lee said.

Weekly practices and joint practices with the Mountain Brook High School volleyball team have helped shake off the rust that has come with very little competitive action in the past few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The only competition in which the team has played since the end of 2019 was against the Helen Keller School from Talladega, Lee said. The lack of competition has come as a result of the pandemic, which posed greater risks for those with special needs.

While the foundation sent their basketball team to Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2010 for eight nights, Lee said he expects a week in Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will be a “bit different.”

The games are set up like a traditional Olympics, with an opening ceremony of states, and athletes are given new uniforms and good competition, Lee said. There will also be a large celebrity presence and fun things to do while on Disney property, he said. “It should be pretty cool.”

People may have a misconception that the level of competition for those with special needs is low, but Lee said the team is “really good” and includes some very talented athletes. The athletes come from all over the area, from Leeds to Trussville to Pell City, and they range in age from their early 20s to 40s, Lee said. There are also two girls on the team.

The foundation is proud of their sports programs, and this is a chance to showcase that, Lee said.

“I think we’re really hoping it gets a lot of attention on our athletic programs in general,” Lee said. “We play about a dozen sports.”

The team won’t have an easy road to a medal, but Lee said he knows they will give their all.

“We’re thirsty,” Lee said. “We have something to shoot for.”

The trip is also being used as a small fundraiser. While the trip’s expenses are covered, the foundation’s junior board solicited local sponsorships during a May 16 pep rally for the team.

Coach Jon Perez, who leads the team along with Ginny Bastar, the foundation’s vice president of programming, said the team is working on its communication and fundamentals and learning to back each other up on the court. He also strives to make it fun and constructive for the players.

With little competition in recent years, the team is also working on its conditioning and spending time running, Perez said. Most of the players are playing the whole game since the team isn’t that big, he said.

The team is very receptive to coaching, and Perez said he has been blessed to serve as its coach. During his four years at the foundation, he has become good friends with the team members and other participants at the foundation.

“It’s special to see how proud and excited they are (for the trip),” Perez said.

Regardless of how they perform, Perez said he knows team members will show good sportsmanship and not take for granted the opportunity they have in front of them.

When the team achieves anything together, there are always plenty of smiles to go around, and a sense of pride is obvious even after a loss, Perez said. “I think they’re just really happy to be together.”

Following the pandemic, Perez said it has been amazing and refreshing to have the team back, and it has helped him gain a deeper appreciation for the foundation.

The team might excel at the Olympics, given the crowds, something Perez said the team members enjoy.

“They really want to play hard when we have visitors,” he said.

The team trains very hard, and people often underestimate the amount of work the team does, Perez said.

The Special Olympics committee receives applications and information from each team about its skill level, so no team is outmatched, Perez said.

Being able to go to the Olympics is a “high honor,” and it will be great to see the team in the spotlight, Perez said.

Playing sports in general is helpful for those with special needs, Perez said. Without it, many of them could fall into the same routines of eating and resting and not being active. When they exercise and play sports, it puts them in a better mood and helps their emotional well-being as well, he said.

Getting ready for the trip is also a big task, Perez said. There has to be thorough communication and preparation with caregivers, making sure medication is available and making sure everyone involved knows every detail, he said.

For more information on the foundation, visit exceptionalfoundation.org. For more information on the Olympic games, visit 2022specialolympicsusagames.org.