Special Olympics holds court, serves with a cause at Charleston Open

As world class tennis was taking place inside the arena of the Credit One Charleston Open, a special match was happening simultaneously on one of the secondary courts. There weren’t as many spectators as the main court, but in their minds it was the main attraction.    
 
Last week, tournament sponsor Morgan Stanley donated $5,000 to Rockin’ Racquets, the local Special Olympics club team at LTP.
 
The words “Come Play” were inscribed on the T-shirts of all the athletes involved in the on-court demonstration. The hour-long event, in partnership with the USTA and South Carolina Special Olympics, was much more than just a showcase of skills. It was a display of hard work, sweat and tears of joy for how much the sport has adapted over the years.
 
Nearly 20 years ago, the tennis tournament made the decision to include the Special Olympics in its tennis community. It’s since grown from a program offered at LTP (and previous onsite programs) to a partner of the sport. Inclusivity has grown across the sport at all levels on a state, national and international scale.   
 
South Carolina currently has the sixth-largest program in the United States. More than 30,700 athletes across the state are actively competing in the Special Olympics, according to S.C. Special Olympics Director of Development Sandye Williams.
 
“Any opportunity to showcase the fantastic things that our athletes can do is an opportunity that we don’t want to miss,” Williams said.
 
In North America alone last year, more than 600,000 athletes participated across 30 sports, according to USTA Southern Adaptive Committee Director Jack Barker. 
 
In 2022, more than 104,000 Special Olympics competitions across 32 sports took place in 170 countries year-round with a worldwide participation of 5.7 million athletes per year, according to Barker.
 
In the Palmetto State, USTA South Carolina Adaptive Committee Chairperson Kevin McFarland is responsible for coordinating Special Olympics practices and tournaments from Columbia to Hilton Head and every tennis court in between.
 
McFarland’s daughter Kylie, a member of South Carolina’s team, performed the coin toss last week during the night match between the U.S.’s Sloane Stephens and Victoria Azarenka from Belarus. 
 
“Our main goal is to get the general population increased in awareness with respect to what adaptive tennis is about,” McFarland said. “Tennis can be played by anybody with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, young or old.”
 
These athletes inspire others far more than any tennis lesson could ever teach.
 
“These athletes teach us how to face challenges because they face a few extra every day,” Barker added. “They are my mentors in areas such as determination, compassion, patience and kindness to name only a few.” 
 

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

Breaking News Alerts

To sign up for breaking news email alerts, Click on the email address below and put "email alerts" in the subject line: sdetar@thedanielislandnews.com

Comment Here