Flags and Friends

Authors

• Lindsay E. GrohsFollow
• Spencer FriedbergFollow
• Alexa MagnaniFollow

Streaming Media

Files

Course Code

LDR

Course Number

3215

Faculty/Instructor

Brad Crawford

Faculty/Instructor Email

crawford@ucf.edu

About the Author

Our names are Spencer, Alexa, and Lindsay. We are second year LEAD students who volunteered with Special Olympics Flag Football this semester. We’d like to thank Laurie Chmielewski, head coach of Orange County Special Olympics Flag Football, for letting us volunteer with her team and being so kind and appreciative throughout the process. We’d also like to thank the other coaches for welcoming us with open arms, the parents for letting us play football with their kids, and Winter Park High School for letting us practice at their fields.

Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement

Our team worked with Orange County’s Special Olympics Flag Football team. We helped coach practices, organized drills, and supported the team at games/tournaments. Through this experience we got the chance to get further involved in our community through doing something we were passionate about. We learned how to apply the different principles of leadership to our mission of fostering an environment that drives inclusion and skill-building. These principles include loving others, extending ourselves, and leading with authority. We went into this experience viewing it as a school project. However, after a few practices, we started developing individual connections with players and coaches and found enjoyment in the overall process. Over the course of our time with the team, we watched their skills improve and friendships strengthen.

Keywords

Football, Special Olympics, Leadership, Teamwork, Community

Recommended Citation

Grohs, Lindsay E.; Friedberg, Spencer; and Magnani, Alexa, "Flags and Friends" (2023). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023. 80.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2023fall/80