Students Reflect on Leadership Roles in 2023 Special Olympics

As Ravenscroft prepared to host the 2023 Spring Games of Special Olympics of Wake County — a more than 30-year tradition that had been paused since 2020 due to the pandemic — organizers offered a new opportunity for Ravens who would be taking lead roles as volunteers for the games: a six-week training program called Youth Games Management. The 15 sophomores and 10 juniors who participated learned about all aspects of running the event before specializing in one particular area that would become their focus on the day of the event.

Here, two participants — Grace McDaniel ’24 and Zoe Fitzpatrick ’25 — reflect on their experiences in YGM training and how it shaped their service and leadership in support of the Spring Games.

To prepare for Ravenscroft to host the Special Olympics, I went through a six-week online training program through Special Olympics North Carolina called Youth Games Management Training. Each week, I learned about a new aspect of the Special Olympics Spring Games that are hosted at Ravenscroft. These sessions included Event Management, Volunteers, Logistics, Competition Planning, Awards, and Communication and Crisis Management. I was very interested in the logistics side of the event, so I chose to become a Logistics Manager. 

In this role, I worked closely alongside [Special Olympics Committee co-chair Megan] Moody and a small group of students to coordinate and oversee the whole event. We learned about making an efficient venue layout, creating a schedule, and logging and organizing equipment to ensure that the event would run smoothly the day of the games. Even though we prepared as much as we could, of course things started to go awry once the event actually started! However, our training sessions prepared us to be flexible and adaptable, and we were able to move past these setbacks. I learned a lot about not only being resilient while facing unexpected challenges but also about managing an event and overseeing volunteers. I know that my training and experiences during the event taught me important skills that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my time at Ravenscroft and my life. 

I greatly enjoyed being behind the scenes and acting as part of the “brains” of the Spring Games, but what I loved most about this experience was meeting all of the other volunteers and connecting with people that showed such passion toward Special Olympics and its athletes. I was moved by all of the volunteers’ dedication and willingness to take time out of their busy lives to support these athletes on their special day. In addition, I felt so privileged and proud to have held a leadership role in this great event that empowers young athletes with disabilities to follow their dreams and find joy through sport. This was such a great leadership and learning experience for me, and I hope to volunteer again with Special Olympics in the future.

— Grace McDaniel ’24

Clockwise from top: Competition manager Zoe Fitzpatrick ’25 makes announcements about track events; Grace McDaniel ’24, at center, poses with fellow logistics manager Arianna Shirak ’24 and Ravenscroft Special Olympics Committee co-chair Megan Moody; student volunteers prepare the field for events; Bryce Augusti ’25 and Yash Agarwal ’24 stop by the photo booth.

At top: Student volunteers gather for a photo before the games get underway.

Having been a volunteer for Special Olympics and Abilities Tennis in the past, I always enjoyed seeing the huge smiles that these athletes brought with them when they competed. Inspired to make a bigger difference this year, I decided to get certified as a Special Olympics Game Management Team Member. After attending weeks of virtual training as well as additional onsite training, I was ready to be a Competition Manager at the 2023 Special Olympics held at Ravenscroft where I chose Track as my event to coordinate.

To prepare, I trained other Ravenscroft Upper School students the day before the event and then trained additional community volunteers on the morning of the event. Once the volunteer team was organized, assigned to their roles and given instructions, we were ready to start the races! Getting our athletes to the starting line and keeping track of details such as timing, rules, recording and awards was overwhelming at first, but we were all focused on the most important part of the day: Smile and cheer because all that really matters is making sure that these athletes remembered their day with wonderful memories. We were so fortunate to share the joy, confidence and sense of belonging that these athletes experienced when they participated in their event that they diligently trained for.

As I reflect on the day, it is a blur of frenzied activity, and I can hardly believe that Special Olympics of North Carolina and Ravenscroft would allow me to handle so much responsibility. It was only possible because of the amazing student and community volunteers that did so much to make it a special day for the athletes. Personally, I could not have done it without the tremendous encouragement and support from the Ravenscroft faculty that helped guide, encourage and support me in this leadership role; they taught me a wonderful lesson in believing in myself and also relying on my team, because no one can do it all by themselves.

As the events ended and the athletes gathered to appreciate the medals and ribbons they had received, I felt a sense of pride and satisfaction that is hard to put into words. I knew that I had helped to create a meaningful and memorable experience for these athletes and that they would carry their achievements from that day with them for a long time to come — as would I.

In the end, I realized that my involvement with Special Olympics had not only helped to make a difference in the lives of others but had also enriched my own life in countless ways. The athletes I had worked with had inspired me with their courage, determination and resilience and reminded me of the true value of our community, teamwork and compassion that day.

 — Zoe Fitzpatrick ’25

Thank you to all of the Ravens who participated in YGM training:

Read our news recap of the event and enjoy more photos on our Flickr page.