INDIANAPOLIS — IPS student-athletes will go down in history for hitting the slopes for the first time ever in the 2025 Special Olympics Indiana State Winter Games.
Six IPS high schoolers from both Arsenal Tech and George Washington represented the Marion County-IPS delegation at the games held at Perfect North Slopes.
Many students had never snowboarded or skied before, but they didn’t let that stop them from learning.
“I wasn’t nervous I said I might as well try, it sounds fun,” said Timothy Thompson, a sophomore at Arsenal Tech.
“It was shocking and surprising actually that the sport that we don’t know how to do it but at the same time we did it,” added Senior Hayden Burke.
The six students made it happen without having access to the slopes until right before the competition.
They even managed to break a split time too.
“What we did basically was get them in shape a little bit of endurance so that they can endure some of the tough things they would face out there on the slopes.”
Coach Harding led the team along with long with supporting coaches from across the district in Lindsey McComish, Frances Rivera, Lisa Rossell, and Nathan Vedder.
They taught the athletes training, endurance drills, and simulated exercises to prepare for their snowboarding and snowshoeing events.
“I’m super proud actually for them to be so competitive but more importantly show the sportsmanship to the other athletes,” Coach Harding told WRTV.
A recent push to change the bylaws at Special Olympics now allows inner city schools to participate in the games.
“One of the important partnerships that we’ve just started with the Indianapolis Public Schools to serve younger athletes,” explained Jeff Mohler, the President and CEO for Special Olympics Indiana. “It’s going to really be able to make sure we had a very encompassing program.”
The student athletes are a part of unified sports at IPS.
The statewide program brings students with and without intellectual disabilities together to compete on a team together.
“It’s been good for me, they ask me to join so I joined,” said Arsenal Tech Junior Raelyn Evans.
The 17-year-old also participates in Unified Flag Football and track alongside teammates Burke and Thompson.
The students not only broke barriers, but also brought diversity to the slopes.
“The population that we brought was very different from what is usually there typical of winter Olympics.”
The IPS Marion County delegation also plans to compete in the summer games for the first-time ever in June.
