Shared Stories

Meet Xander! Xander is a Unified Partner with Special Olympics South Dakota and is part of the NESC delegation. He is a sophomore at Dakota State University and a running

Meet Josh! Josh joined Special Olympics South Dakota when he was 8 years old and is turning 36! He is part of the Aberdeen Thunder delegation. He lives with his

Meet Bennett! Bennett joined Special Olympics South Dakota Pierre Wildcats almost 2 years ago. You can find him on the basketball court, taking part in athletics, softball, and bowling. He

After years of training and competing for this athletic moment to become real – the 15-hour flight to Berlin, Germany was the last of the waiting they had to do. 

By Chad VanderPoel The roles we all play in each other’s lives is different. Often those roles are defined. It may be mother and daughter, teacher and student, boyfriend and

A USA Games Experience as Told by Xander Sheehan, Kyler Tvedt, and Kellan Benck Xander Sheehan (14): It’s hard to find words to describe what it was like to experience

By Chris Lather As a new special education teacher 5 years ago, I had very little knowledge of Special Olympics. That all quickly changed when I was thrust into practices

By Chad VanderPoel She has been dreaming of this moment her whole life. She looks down at her path ahead.  It’s littered with famous names ranging from Cèline Dion to Mickey

By Gunner Sanderson Dear Chad, Hi, my name is Gunner Sanderson.  I am 15 years old and am a sophomore in Clark High School. I have Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome. I have