Photographing Special Olympics
If you are a newer sports photographer, or simply someone who wants to know that your work is appreciated and that you are making a real difference in your community, I urge you to consider becoming a volunteer photographer for the Special Olympics chapter in your area. Here’s why.
From a purely sports photography perspective, it’s impossible to conceive of a better skill-building opportunity. Volunteer for a local Special Olympics Summer or Winter Games, and you will have the opportunity to cover an incredible variety of sports in just one or two days. I’ve covered as many as seven different sports in a single day. If you are a beginner, you can build your skills, grow your portfolio, and give back to your community.
You cover Special Olympics competitions just as you would any other, except you will have tremendous access. But the bonus is this: there is commonly more emotion and joy in one day at a Special Olympics event than you will encounter over the course of an entire season in other leagues. The energy is incredible—and contagious.
It’s hard to put this into words—but I’ll try. Sports at every level have become so incredibly intense, competitive, and, quite frankly, bordering on the ridiculous and disheartening. Parents yell at 14-year-old umpires during peewee baseball games. Families spend tens of thousands of dollars in training and travel in the hope that their child gets a Division III "scholarship." Money rules college and professional sports. I’ve covered them all. But for me, Special Olympics is The Great Reset.
At Special Olympics events, parents and players and cheer and thank the officials and coaches. The athletes—while highly competitive—genuinely support each other. Your neighbors and friends volunteer their time to make things run smoothly. The Special Olympics motto says it all: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
It’s what I kind of wish all sports were like. I realize that’s not possible in today’s world. But there is a place where it exists. All you have to do is make a call. Trust me. You won’t be sorry you did. I have never met a person who has photographed just one Special Olympics event. They all come back from the experience energized. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it has changed my life for the better.
Here are some samples of pictures I’ve taken fairly recently. I’m not great by any measure, but I try (Brave in the attempt, as the motto goes). https://kollethphoto.com
My suggestion is to go to your state Special Olympics website and find the "Area" chapter that serves the community where you live. Most "Area" teams have a Facebook page. Volunteer to photograph some local games. Half the fun is getting to know the local athletes and their families. It's amazing how this can broaden your horizons.
Once you've covered your local area for awhile, reach out to the State Special Olympics and ask to cover a statewide event. Most will have a "capture crew" that covers the games. In my home state, we have large Summer and Winter games and relatively smaller fall and spring competitions. Trust me. It's far more fun to shoot a State games when you know your local team. It's great to have that affiliation.
I hope your experience is as positive as mine has been. If you any questions about how to get involved, I’d be delighted to help. Just reach out.