‘They just thrive with it’ – Dublin family’s joyful Special Olympics journey

Mark Beddis’s daughter Aoibh (8) is currently involved in the organisation’s young athlete programme and his other daughter Laoise (13) has graduated from it.

Mark (50) from Malahide, north Dublin, said: “We’ve had nothing but wonderful experiences with the Special Olympics.”

The programme is designed for children with intellectual disabilities from the ages of four to 12 to engage with play-based physical activities that build fundamental movement skills such as running, catching, throwing, and balance.

We were trying to find activities for the girls to do, and this was one thing they could do

It sets them up for lifelong participation in sport, building confidence and fine motor skills, something that the Beddis family have experienced firsthand.

The family got involved in the programme in 2020, which was challenging, but the Saturday mornings online broke up the week for the family.

Mark said: “We were trying to find activities for the girls to do, and this was one thing they could do. We still have the yoga mats, bouncing balls and all kinds of stuff in the house.”

Once normality returned, the two girls joined in person, along with getting involved in basketball in Donabate.

Laoise then eventually graduated from the programme and joined their local athletics club.

“They just thrive with it. It really has made them stronger, fitter, healthier and more confident and brought so many more friends into their lives. We often visit the Down Syndrome Centre in Swords. But from bringing the girls to the programme in Donabate, it has opened up another huge amount of friends for them.

Aoibh is a bit shorter, but she plays amongst much bigger kids, and she runs like a lunatic and steals and bounces the ball

“It’s also taken the girls to the next level to help them find their sport. They are both amazing at basketball, and very different as well.

“With Laoise everything’s exactly the same all the time; she likes routine. She’ll stand there in front of the basketball hoop at the free throw line and just put them all in, nine times out of 10. She had an incredible skill level.

“Then Aoibh is a bit shorter, but she plays amongst much bigger kids, and she runs like a lunatic and steals and bounces the ball.

“We went to a Special Olympics tournament in Cork, which was lovely to spend time with all the families. And then, of course, we weren’t sure whether Aoibh would be able to do it, because she’s so small.

“She’s only half my size. But she ran around with six foot four guys, robbing the ball of them – no bother on her at all.”

The girls have learnt skills that they can rely on for the rest of their lives, from throwing a ball to doing star jumps.

Their balance has also improved, which can be a major challenge for some children with intellectual disabilities.

Not only have Aoibh and Laoise benefited from the initiative, but so has their sister Róisín (11).

“Róisín does not have a disability, but she comes along and helps sometimes. She might show off a bit that she can do something and then help them do it, holding their hands on the balance beams, or setting the hurdles up, or whatever is needed. She’s always made to feel welcome.”

Laoise also helps out sometimes, after graduating from the programme herself, a testament to its success.

Being involved in the Special Olympics has also enhanced Mark and his wife Ruth’s (45) lives.

“I meet up with the dads’ group for pints about twice a year. I’m hoping in the future we’ll get out more together, but we also have a WhatsApp group going as well.”

“You know there’s always someone there going through the same battles that you are. Sometimes you do get worried and stressed about things, but you will find someone else has probably actually been through the same problem you’ve had and gotten out the other end of it.

“My wife also goes out with some of the mums, even on trips away.”

But the Special Olympics has been a part of the couple’s lives, long before they had children.

Ruth was a volunteer at the 2003 Games when it was held in Dublin and Mark, a pharmacist, was part of a temporary pharmacy set up in the Olympic village, also in Dublin in 2010.

“I remember the CEO [of Special Olympics Ireland] Matt English showing me around the village. I never thought this would be a personal thing, but my God, it stuck with me how wonderful it was, and the skill levels, which were astonishing.

A recent report on the young athletes programme, it was found that before getting involved, just over 50pc of children mastered any fundamental movement skills. After an eight-week targeted intervention, there was a significant improvement in movement and object manipulation skills.