Victory On and Off the Field

By Ryan O'Keefe

There are many lessons one can learn on a football field, but it’s sometimes the ones we learn off the field that make the biggest impact.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes have been inviting Special Olympics Texas athletes from the Waco area for the past two years to attend their annual Victory Bowl at Baylor University's Floyd Casey Stadium. The Victory Bowl is an all-star football game for high school seniors in the Heart of the Texas area.  Victory Bowl Week begins the Wednesday before the game and is filled with service projects, entertainment and clinics.

This year, 15 Special Olympics Texas athletes had the opportunity to practice individual skills used in flag football and softball competitions.   After the conclusion of the morning session, Special Olympics Texas athletes addressed the high school athletes and coaches to express their thoughts on what it meant to be a part of the Victory Bowl Week.  Free tickets were given to the Special Olympics Texas athletes and their families to attend the football game.

Victory Bowl is a great way to see inclusion among athletes of all abilities and levels especially at the high school level. More importantly the Special Olympics Texas athletes get to share in the spotlight with their counterparts for a fun-filled day of football.