By Erin Holloway, Special Olympics Athlete Leader

This morning, I attended Young Athletes Summer Sport Camp. This was my first experience attending a camp and it was amazing to see how many athletes were there and how happy they were. They were all full of energy and excited to participate in the different sports stations. It was fun to see how much they wanted to jump in and learn as much as they could at different games and just be involved in the activities.

Throughout the morning, Young Athletes learned skills in basketball, bowling, flag football, tennis, athletics, soccer, golf, and t-ball. Everyone was learning to be a team player, such as being able to share the ball with someone else or help each other set up the bowling pins. They also were making friends at every turn, while also being a friend to others.

I loved the energy at Young Athletes Summer Sports Camp! To see everyone having fun, not just the athletes but the volunteers and parents, it made me feel happy and excited to be there. I didn’t want to just stand on the sidelines, I wanted to jump in and join the fun.

I think Young Athletes Summer Sports Camp is important because it encourages the athletes to interact with other people and to learn that they are able to compete in different sports. It shows these kids at a young age that whatever set their mind, there are all kinds of possibilities to get involved in whatever sport or whatever adventure they want to make.

Everybody loves sports, the important thing here is being able to play somewhere where you’re included. Sometimes you have to work to be included, but at Special Olympics, you don’t. At Young Athletes Camp, they are surrounded by inclusion, so they don’t know any different. It’s such a great experience to have at a young age.

Although this was my first Young Athletes Summer Sports Camp, I’m looking forward to going to more in the future to be part of the excitement.