Sommer Sigala of Falcon and her father, Mario Sigala, are helping the Special Olympics soccer program get off the ground, along with a unique partnership with the Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer team. The partnership is in its third year.Thirty players and six coaches were chosen out of more than 80 people who tried out for the team. The Unified All-Stars program combines Special Olympics athletes with typically developing peers that compete against similar programs in two other states. ìWhen the Rapids travel to Dallas, the Special Olympics team will travel with them, stay in the same hotel and play their unified team right after the major league game,î said Wayne Brant, director of marketing and fan development for the Colorado Rapids.The unified team players practice on the Rapidsí fields, interact with professional players and are given professional-quality uniforms and gear. ìIn July, we bring them in to the Rapids locker room; but, with it reset with their names on the lockers, and have a media day to get them pumped up,î Brant said. ìTheyíre given authentic jerseys, travel bags and other gear. Once itís over, from head to toe theyíre in the same gear the Rapids players are in.îRapids players Clint Irwin and Chris Klute will practice with the Special Olympics team once a month and host the players on events like Shop with a Jock, Brant said. ìSoccer is a fast-growing sport within Special Olympics,î Brant said. ìIt was a natural fit from the front office and player standpoint.îMario Sigala, the soccer coach for Mesa Ridge High School, said he has been involved in Special Olympics for about 20 years. His daughter, Sommer Sigala, who plays for Mesa Ridge and splits her time between her dad and her mother in Falcon, has been involved for seven years. Six other Special Olympics and typically developing peer players from the Pikes Peak region are also on the team.ìI think itís been enlightening to all the players and a life-changing process,î said Mario Sigala. The team is a significant time commitment, especially for players living in the Pikes Peak region. ìWe practice two and a half hours a week at Dick Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City,î he said.Playing alongside the Special Olympics athletes makes the time and effort worthwhile for the Sigalas, the professional players and the Rapids front office staff. ìIt surprises a lot of these guys once they really start working with the Special Olympics,î Brant said. ìThey become so embedded in the program and get excited about it. The athletes with disabilities are not used to this kind of treatment. The key piece was being able to give these athletes this kind of attention and support.îCoca-Cola, Dicks Sporting Goods, Adidas and Cardel Homes provide financial support to the program, including flights and hotel for the away games. Fans can keep up with the Special Olympics unified team at http://coloradorapids.com/club/soco.
