The lightning-fast turf fields at No Offseason Sports in West Deer don’t scare Special Olympian pitcher Rachel Miles.
When the 25-year-old takes the mound this week during the Special Olympics North America Softball Championship, she’ll keep an unwavering eye on the prize.
“I want to win it all,” said Miles, an O’Hara resident and graduate of Fox Chapel Area High School. “I love the sport, and I love the crowds.”
Fresh off a championship run at the 2024 Summer Games at Penn State, Miles will compete with her unified team, the Olympic Flames, against players traveling from across the United States and Canada.
More than 25 teams, including seven from Pennsylvania, and 300 athletes are scheduled to participate in the tournament.
“Some of the teams are coming so far they won’t be able to bring a big fan base,” No Offseason owner Joe Voloch said. “For us to be able to support all the players with large cheering crowds, it will be such a cool experience for everyone.”
Special Olympics was founded in 1968 as a movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. Today, the group hosts more than 30 Olympic-style sports and 100,000 competitions a year with 6 million athletes in 190 countries.
In Pennsylvania, 13,000 people participate in year-round training in bocce, track, basketball, bowling and more.
“Oftentimes, Special Olympics athletes are stereotyped,” said Larkin Richards, manager of marketing and public relations.
“Whether it’s ability, talent or strength, athletes are consistently fighting assumptions. National events are truly a chance to show how competitive and gritty Special Olympics competition can be. Now is the time to show society how inclusive sports can be.”
The SONA Softball Championship was launched in 2009. It includes competitions among traditional teams and those that are unified — a mix of players with and without disabilities playing as teammates.
It aligns with efforts in recent years by Special Olympics to pioneer Unified Sports programs in public schools. Sports such as bocce and track are available in more than 8,300 schools across the country, with a goal of hitting 10,000 this year, according to the group’s website.
Locally, Best Buddies teams have thrived at schools such as Highlands, Fox Chapel Area, Burrell and North Allegheny. Benefits include social inclusion and youth leadership, which Special Olympics says increases acceptance while reducing stigma and bullying.
“The unified players love each other and work well as a team, and this tournament puts it on a national level,” Flames coach Darryl Degelman said.
The Edgewood resident got involved with Special Olympics when his son, now 49, was just a teen. He leads practices from spring to fall at Heinz Memorial Field in Sharpsburg, with his team attracting players from across the region in Murrysville, North Hills and Beaver.
“It makes you feel proud, and something like this gives them an opportunity to see their importance relative to the community but also to the nation,” Degelman said.
In its 18th year, this is the first time the SONA tournament has been hosted in the Pittsburgh region.
Degelman has twice traveled with his team to the competition in Virginia. To have this year’s event in West Deer, he said, “is such a great emotional boost to our athletes, coaches and volunteers.”
Special Olympics Pennsylvania, Richards said, is “absolutely thrilled to host our first-ever national event.”
“We want to bring awareness to this event because it’s another iconic sporting moment in Pittsburgh culture,” she said.
“We get to say that 2024 is the year that the SONA softball championship took place in the City of Champions, and Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes are a part of that moment in history.”
For those expecting hard-hitting action, No Offseason will be the place to see it, Richards said.
“These games are going to be intense. Once you experience the iconic environment of Special Olympics competition, you’ll want to get involved. From spectating to volunteering to coaching, we want you to be a part of the Inclusion Revolution.”
For Miles, taking the field is a family affair. Her twin brother, Alex, and her dad, Ron, join her on the diamond, at shortstop and second base. Her mom, Cathy, is an assistant coach.
“As you get older, you’re looking for excuses to spend time with your family, and this is a free excuse,” said Alex, who played baseball for the Foxes in high school and participated in the district’s Best Buddies program.
“My sister was always my biggest fan. So to be on the field with her, I couldn’t pass up that opportunity.”
Ron Miles said it might appear to spectators that Special Olympians benefit from the partners’ volunteerism.
“The reality is, you get more out of it than you put in,” he said.
Opening ceremonies will kick off at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5 with a skydiver and drone show.
Voloch said player introductions will be made from the raised stage to specially showcase each athlete.
“We want to make it special for the families,” he said.
Games begin Friday, Sept. 6 and run through the championship on Sunday, Sept. 8 at the complex on Little Deer Creek Valley Road.
Andrew Fee, vice president of strategic partnerships for Special Olympics Pennsylvania, said he expects emotions to be palpable.
“For the community to come together and support these athletes, it puts a spotlight on the work we do throughout the year,” he said, adding that softball was the group’s first unified sport ever to compete.
“I think this will really bring people together.”
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
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Publish date : 2024-08-30 22:19:00
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