ST. LOUIS, Mo. - On January 27^th, the Webster Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted Special Olympians, The Falcons, for their annual exhibition game and pizza party during the men's game vs. Greenville. The Falcons lined up alongside the men's basketball team during the announcement of the starting line ups. On the way back to their seats, Hanna Lauer showed off some of her dribbling skills after one of the officials passed her the game ball much to the delight of the crowd!  

At halftime, the Falcons took to the court through an impromptu tunnel started by the women's basketball team. All Webster student-athletes, athletics staff in attendance, and even some fans, lined the court to cheer them on. The game was a thrill to watch as it went back and forth with some points scored and even some steals!

Following the game, the Falcons and their families joined student-athletes from both the basketball and soccer teams for a pizza party with cupcakes for dessert. The student-athletes interacted with the Special Olympians and signed their Webster autograph books. The Falcons head coach, Kirk Halveland, was presented with notes of encouragement that all student-athletes wrote prior to the game.

We asked our student athletes what they enjoy most about hosting our Special Olympians, and they had the following responses:

 "What I enjoyed most about hosting the Special Olympics team was knowing that they really appreciated the whole experience and really were invested in talking to us, and just knowing that we may have made some of their days, months, or years made it feel awesome." – Nic Richardson (Men's Basketball)

 "What I enjoy most about hosting our Special Olympians is seeing the athletic community come together to support an important team. It is really special to me to give the Special Olympians an opportunity to play in front of quite a large crowd." – Grace Rodgers (SAAC Vice President/Treasurer who coordinated the Falcons / Women's Soccer)

"I honestly enjoyed getting to see a whole different perspective about playing sports. It makes me see how much of a privilege I have." – Courtney Haneline (Women's Soccer)

"One thing I enjoy about hosting the Special Olympians is seeing how happy and excited they are during the game and knowing that they are supported." – Malaya Blakely (Women's Soccer)

"One thing I enjoy most about hosting our Special Olympians is the pure joy I see through them when they play. It truly is so exciting, and I love how into it everyone is!" – Jasmine Hubbard (Women's Soccer)

Since 2011, NCAA Division III student-athlete advisory committees have partnered with Special Olympics. The purpose of the partnership is to enhance the lives of Division III student-athletes and Special Olympics athletes through a mutual learning experience; provide a platform for recognition of Special Olympics athletes and Division III student-athletes within their communities; and raise awareness of Special Olympics, its programs and services.
 
The Webster University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has partnered with the St. Louis Special Olympics and the Falcons for over the past 15 years. Every year we welcome the Falcons to campus to play an exhibition game at halftime of a men's or women's basketball game and enjoy time with our student-athletes.