Meet the athletes of the ‘Gaming for Inclusion’ tournament
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A few weeks ago, we were very excited to announce our latest partnership efforts with our friends at Special Olympics – the inaugural Gaming for Inclusion esports experience to showcase the power of inclusion through games. The multi-day virtual esports tournament will engage and connect people of all skill levels across the United States.
From September 12-17, Special Olympics athletes and unified partners will compete in Rocket league, Madden NFL 22, and Forza Motorsport 7 on Xbox for the chance to play alongside famous Special Olympics fans, including NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum, NFL legend Jamaal Charles, WNBA Superstar Jewell Loyd and WWE Superstars Dominik Mysterio and Ember Moon on September 18. Viewers can broadcast the events live. upon the Xbox Twitch channel and the Special Olympics YouTube channel.
Of course, while the games and experience are excellent, this tournament is about bringing together more than 90 Special Olympics athletes for a few days of intense esports competition. With that in mind, we wanted to introduce you to just a few of the competing athletes. We hope you will join us in wishing them well and cheering them on in a few days!
Colton Rice
Where do you live?
I live in Brighton, Colorado.
How long have you been involved in Special Olympics?
I’ve been competing for 9 years.
Which ‘Games for Inclusion’ tournament will you compete in?
I will compete in the Forza Motorsport 7 tournament.
How long have you been playing that game? And is it one of your favorite games to play?
I have been playing Forza games for many years and it is probably my favorite racing game.
‘Gaming for Inclusion’ is just a few days away. How are you preparing for the tournament?
I’m practicing on different tracks and keeping my car pretty basic, no modifications or upgrades.
What advice do you have for people who want to play games?
Have fun, practice, chat with your opponents in the waiting room and on Discord. Good sportsmanship is important.
Outside of Special Olympics and games, what else are you involved in? Do you have any other favorite hobbies or jobs that you are passionate about?
I like to build, fix, drive, and race RC trucks. My dad and I go to competitions and I’m a little better driver than my dad. Also, I like working at Ace Hardware. They make me build a lot of things like grills, wheelbarrows, lawn mowers and stuff.
What is your favorite life mantra or the words you live by?
“If you are not the first, you are the last. Shake and bake! “
What is your favorite song to motivate you?
Right now, I really like Rihanna’s song “Shut Up and Drive”.
What is your favorite game (be it a sport or a video game)?
Soccer is my favorite physical sport and my favorite video game is Forza.
What is your favorite food or takeout?
I like a good steak! Another favorite is an egg cheeseburger.
Why did you decide to participate in ‘Gaming for Inclusion’?
I like racing cars and I really like Forza! I think it will be fun to meet other people “virtually” who like to do what I do.
What are you looking forward to the most from ‘Games for Inclusion’?
Competition and meeting with people.
What advice would you give an aspiring Special Olympics athlete?
Believe in our oath: “Let me win. But if I can’t win, let me be brave in the attempt. “We don’t have to win, but we must do our best and never give up.
Is there someone you would like to thank or say hello to?
I would like to thank Adrian and Rick from Special Olympics Colorado for helping me get involved in esports!
Amber gertsch
Where do you live?
I live in Farr West, Utah.
How long have you been involved in Special Olympics?
I have been competing in Special Olympics for 25 years.
Which ‘Games for Inclusion’ tournament will you compete in?
For this competition, I will compete in Rocket League.
How long have you been playing that game? And is it one of your favorite games to play?
Halo is my game of choice, but I’ve been playing Rocket League for an hour a day for the past two weeks..
What advice do you have for people who want to play games?
I have found video games to be a great activity to retrain my brain. It also helps me with hand / eye coordination..
What is your favorite life mantra or the words you live by?
THE GAME IS VERY ENJOYABLE. Inclusion is very important, but it is MY responsibility to be INCLUDED!
What is your favorite song to motivate you??
To motivate myself when playing sports or playing games, I listen to music by the Scandinavian band Wardruna (war songs cheer me up and put me in warrior mode).
What is your favorite game (be it a sport or a video game)?
Almost every day, I play Halo online with players.
What is your favorite food or takeout?
I don’t eat when I play because I don’t want my controllers to get ‘gross’.
What advice would you give an aspiring Special Olympics athlete?
To other athletes who want to be a part of video games, I say “Get out there and TRY! Remember the Special Olympics athlete’s oath: “Let me win. But if I can’t win, let me be brave in the attempt. “
Is there someone you would like to thank or say hello to?
My mom is my biggest hero. She taught me that the only losers are the ones who don’t try. THANK YOU MOM… YOU ARE THE BEST !! A special thanks to the members of my patient family who have taught and encouraged me. Thanks to David Reed, who really ‘pushed’ me to compete in Special Olympics game competitions.
Jose Moreno
Where do you live?
Bensenville, Illinois
How long have you been involved in Special Olympics ?:
I’ve been competing for 12 years.
Which ‘Games for Inclusion’ tournament will you compete in?
Madden NFL 22.
How long have you been playing that game? And is it one of your favorite games to play?
For 6 years Madden has been one of my favorite games and I love playing for the Chicago Bears.
‘Gaming for Inclusion’ is just a few days away. How are you preparing for the tournament ?:
The way I’m preparing for the tournament is that I wake up at 8am and start playing on Xbox Live with other people from all over the world in Madden. I have been doing this for the last 3 weeks.
Why are you excited to play in the ‘Gaming for Inclusion’ tournament?
The love of competition and playing with other people from across the country in Special Olympics esports. Also, contribute to a team and practice a lot and just have fun playing the video games you love with your peers and friends.
Outside of Special Olympics and games, what else are you involved in? Do you have any other favorite hobbies or jobs that you are passionate about?
I love watching movies and my favorite actor is Adam Sandler. I enjoy playing board games with members of my family. My favorite board game is Monopoly. I host my own trivia game show for Special Olympics athletes on my own platform called LIVE WITH JOSE TV on Facebook Live.
And I also produce other shows on my platform with other Special Olympics athletes from around the country. We have different athletes from Maryland, Kansas, Illinois and Michigan and we also play with different police officers from around the country on the trivia game show. It is inclusive so that anyone can play with the athletes and with me.
What is your favorite life mantra or the words you live by?
“Always be yourself. Have fun and always smile because a smile brings happiness to a person.”
What is your favorite song to motivate you?
Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina”
What is your favorite game (be it a sport or a video game)?
My favorite game should be GoldenEye on Nintendo 64. I also love playing Mario Kart, Super Mario Brothers, Madden, and NBA 2K.
And my favorite sport would have to be Unified bocce because I can compete with my brother, who is my Unified partner. We just qualified for next year’s Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games with a gold medal in regionals.
What is your favorite food or takeout?
My favorite food would have to be McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish and my other favorite food would have to be my mother’s meatloaf.
Why did you decide to participate in ‘Gaming for Inclusion’?
The reason I decided to participate in ‘Games for Inclusion’ is because you can participate with a Unified partner and have everyone included.
What are you looking forward to the most from ‘Games for Inclusion’?
I really want to play against people from all over the country, because it brings the athletes together and you get to meet a lot of different athletes from different parts of the country. You are playing esports and having fun.
What advice would you give an aspiring Special Olympics athlete?
The advice I would give a Special Olympics athlete is that you can do whatever you set your mind to.
Is there someone you would like to thank or say hello to?
Shout out to Special Olympics Illinois esports and my family. And I’d love to say a big thank you to Microsoft for all that it does for Special Olympics athletes across the country and the world. We really appreciate it, so thank you.
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