For the fourth year in a row, OSU Unified participated in The Special Olympics Oklahoma Summer Games hosted in Stillwater.
For 41 years, Oklahoma State has been in partnership with Special Olympics Oklahoma to host the summer games with the City of Stillwater for adult Special Olympics athletes. 2026 marked the 57th anniversary of the Summer Games in Oklahoma. Each year, athletes, families, coaches and volunteers travel from near and far to be a part of The Special Olympics Oklahoma Summer Games – this year was no different as OSU Unified, OSU’s first Special Olympics college program in Oklahoma, competed in their own backyard.
“It almost feels like we have a home court advantage, because we already play basketball at the Colvin Annex, so being there feels familiar and comfortable for us,” said Erica Still, program coordinator for the OSU Center for Developmental Disabilities and club adviser of OSU Unified. “Having the games here also means a lot because our friends and family get to come out and support us. It makes the experience even more exciting and gives extra motivation to go out there and compete our best.”
The games were held in Stillwater May 13 to 15 with athletes having the opportunity to compete in 10 different events.
In the four years that OSU Unified has participated in the Summer Games, athletes have played bocce and basketball. This year, OSU Unified’s athletes split up into three teams to participate in only basketball. Two of the three placed fourth and the other team placed second.
“This year, we only played and focused on 3v3 basketball since we had a 3v3 basketball season the last few weeks of our spring semester,” Erica Still said.
Josh Still, the coach for the team that placed second, views the Summer Games as another opportunity, in addition to Unified during the school year, to see the athletes grow as this is his second-year coaching the Summer Games.
“I mean, for me personally, just from a selfish side it’s great to feel – like watching them grow and, you know, enjoy themselves and have fun,” Josh Still said. “And at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. We want to compete, we want to have fun, but to watch them, like, grow as basketball players and just as teammates is the best part.”
The athletes played three games on May 15 and won two out of the three to guarantee second place. The team consisted of two student partners who participated in OSU Unified throughout the school year as well.
OSU Junior and applied exercise science major, Ivy Hartman has been a part of Unified since her freshman year along with this being her second year of the Summer Games.
Hartman said she had no clue her freshman year just how big of an event The Special Olympics Summer Games were before participating, and seeing the magnitude of it made her eager to come back this summer.
She said the experience is different compared to playing with Unified as she normally knows everyone’s face, but it doesn’t make her experience any less exciting.
“It’s a little different here, because I don’t know everyone, but I’m still super excited to see all these athletes that I’ve never met before succeed,” Hartman said. “And just to get to watch them score and have a lot of fun – it’s really cool, but it’s definitely a different environment here, (…) ..there’s so many people here and it’s always fun.”
And participating in her first Summer Games is fellow partner Lily Nease is a sophomore majoring in agricultural leadership.
She said it’s amazing to get to be a part of the Summer Games and see the athletes potential throughout the experience.
“It’s actually so amazing,” Nease said. “I’ve just loved getting to see these guys get to reach their full potential, and Unified has just been like the best days, like, that I’ve spent here. It’s really cool that we get to do this and that I get to be a partner for this, because I just love to see these guys blossom in their areas.”
Garrett Jones, Special Olympics and OSU Unified athlete, said his favorite parts about the week are getting to hang out with his team and friends.
The games being hosted in his own town gives a simple sweetness, yet special meaning to Jones.
“I get to be here with my teammates,” Jones said.
Erica Still said Unified is now looking forward to heading to Minnesota for The 2026 Special Olympic USA Games come June.
