Chambers has coached volleyball for almost 10 years, and she said she started coaching after her younger sister suffered through two brain tumors and began participating in Special Olympics.
The Special Olympics Ohio Volleyball season is April through June. Chambers said the Clark County Special Olympics Volleyball Team won every game last season.
“We haven’t won every game and won first place of state in a very long time,” Chambers said. “So it was great.”
Developmental Disabilities of Clark County “assists over 1,400 Clark County residents with information, funding, support, and services for people with conditions such as intellectual disability, autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or traumatic brain injury,” according to its website.
The Clark County Special Olympics Volleyball Team competes and practices at the FF Mueller Center located on the main campus of Developmental Disabilities of Clark County in Springfield.
According to Special Olympics Ohio, a team qualifies for the state tournament “by competing in an approved SOOH Regional Tournament.”
“Most of them have been playing together for longer than I’ve been coaching, and I’ve been coaching for around about 30 years,” Chambers said. “They play all sports together. They’re very, very dedicated to Special Olympics and their sport. They absolutely love what they do, and they are such a great spirited group of people.”
Developmental Disabilities of Clark County was founded in 1958, according to Developmental Disabilities of Clark County Community Education Manager/Public Relations Lora Krugh Campbell, and it currently serves “around 900 families and individuals annually through programs that include early intervention, life skill development, job readiness, and recreational therapy.”
“I know the volleyball team was very dedicated and committed to excellence,” Krugh Campbell stated in an email. “They are driven and want to be the best they can be. They practice consistently, and even in inclement weather, they were there doing the work it takes to be champions. We are so proud of who they are as a team, but even more of who they are as individuals. They are a shining example of believing you can do something, working diligently for an extended period of time, and then reaping the reward of great success.”
The Clark County Special Olympics Volleyball Team won the state championship at the Recreation and Physical Activity Center on Ohio State’s campus, which also hosted athletics, bocce, bowling, gymnastics — artistic, gymnastics — rhythmic, powerlifting and tennis events at its other facilities.
Chambers said the volleyball players “don’t care if they win or lose, as long as they’re having fun and they’re learning something, they’re just excited to be there and excited to be on the court.”
“You really can’t put it into words when you see them putting these gold medals over their head, around their neck, and the smiles on their faces because they’ve worked so hard practicing twice a week for months and just putting their all into it,” Chambers said. “It’s a phenomenal thing, and being at state, Ohio State University is so open arms to us and gracious, and they do so much for us.”
This marks the 50-year milestone since Special Olympics Ohio’s incorporation in 1975.
Chambers said the Clark County Special Olympics Volleyball Team gets “a taste of that dorm life” when staying at the dorms on Ohio State’s campus among the experiences they enjoy when competing at the state tournament.
“When my players go to Ohio State, we don’t just walk around campus and do stuff,” Chambers said. “They love to go out to eat and see the restaurants, see the other counties. A lot of my players, they know players from other counties, and it’s just like a big, huge Special Olympics fest. Everybody knows everybody, and everybody loves everybody. It’s just a really, really great experience for all involved.”
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