Making time for smiles
August 24, 2015
By Derek Terry
Brandon Hignite of the Lexington Colts drops back to pass. His target is nearly 10 yards down field, but the eyes of UK quarterback Patrick Towles are squarely on him.
Time after time, Hignite releases the ball but to no avail. Finally, the strike from Hignite hits the target. Several UK players jump into the air, and Towles’ arms go up as if he’d just thrown the game-winning pass himself.
That was just one of the many scenes on Sunday as the UK football team and head coach Mark Stoops took a step away from the long, grueling days of fall camp to host athletes from Special Olympics Kentucky at the Nutter Training Facility.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to spend some time with these special (people),” Stoops said. “Our players participated last year in Frankfort with the Special Olympics. This year, the flag football teams weren’t invited, so we just thought it was a great opportunity to come here and have them spend some time with us during camp.”
From the participants’ smiles to the players yelling after each big play, the excitement created a special atmosphere at the training center.
Trish Mazzoni, director of Special Olympics Kentucky, said the Special Olympics athletes were ecstatic to participate with the football team.
“When they got here today, they were bouncing up and down,” Mazzoni said. “They couldn’t stand still. I had several parents say, ‘So and so couldn’t sleep last night.’ So they were just so excited. They’re like everyone else, big UK fans, and when they heard this was going to happen, they’ve just been besides themselves.”
About 50 or 60 participants, broken up into four teams, attended the event. The Colts, Raiders and Steelers were made up of players from Lexington, while the Sooners were from nearby Winchester.
UK players coached stations such as punting, catching and passing.
Quarterback Drew Barker, along with teammate Max Strong, has worked with the Special Olympics in the past. The two were planning to participate in the Polar Plunge fundraiser in March, but a winter storm canceled the event. Barker said the event was good for team bonding and morale.
“Just letting them get this exposure and seeing the pure happiness and joy on everybody’s faces,” Barker said. “It’s really awesome. Having these athletes come out here and see the happiness on their face playing the game that we play every day is just awesome. I think it puts in perspective how lucky we are.”
Strong, who helped organize the event for the team, enjoyed the day’s festivities.
“It’s fun to get out here and take a break from what’s going on in camp,” Strong said. “I know we’re only here with them for one day, but you can tell that this isn’t fake for them, this is real. They love being out here, so allowing us to see that lets us know that this is more than a game. It shows that we can do a lot, not only ourselves but for the community too.”