by Michelle Mayer | Jun 24, 2025 | Mission Focused, Region C, Region G, Region K, Sports, State Tournaments
By Randy Kindred
As a freshman at Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, Ryan McGuire trailed the pack significantly in cross country. Running with a paraprofessional, McGuire typically finished the three-mile races five minutes after the next slowest competitor. The following year, he moved up to the back of the pack. His junior year, he was in the middle of the pack. And by his senior season, McGuire was “nearer to the front,” said his father, Martin.
“You might have been surprised that after his freshman year, he kept on running,” Martin McGuire said. “But he kept after it and kept getting better and better.” After running three miles in 34 minutes as a freshman, Ryan covered the distance in 16 minutes, 23 seconds as a senior. He was just getting started.
Competing in Special Olympics Illinois Region C, the 23-year-old McGuire won a gold medal Saturday morning in the 3,000-meter run at Summer Games, where the state-level competing for athletics (track & field) and seven other sports, is held. He could have run much farther, even in the humid conditions at Illinois State University’s track.
McGuire, who has autism, has become a marathon runner. In April, running with two support runners, he completed the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon course in 2 hours, 52 minutes, 4 seconds.
Next up is the Berlin Marathon in the fall.
“That will be his fifth Abbott World Major Marathon and he’s run all of them under three hours,” Martin McGuire said. “His plans are for the Tokyo Marathon next year. He may be the first Special Olympic athlete to finish the Abbott World Major Marathons in under three hours in each of them.”
Competing in Tokyo would leave only the newly added Sydney Marathon left among the Abbott World Major Marathons. That one will have to wait a bit, but likely, McGuire will run in it, with Dad cheering him on. “This is what Ryan and I do,” Martin McGuire said. “This is what we like to do … getting ready for races and running.”
When Ryan is in training, he runs six days a week and cross-trains on Sundays in a swimming pool. “Do you have running in your background?” his father was asked.
“Not at all,” Martin McGuire replied. “When Ryan goes on a long run, I might ride my bicycle trying to keep up.”
Clearly, running is important to Ryan. So is the message it sends.
“Ryan likes to have people remember that people with autism and delayed development have a lot of talents and a lot of special gifts,” Martin McGuire said. “For each and every one of us, we have to keep going and find what our gifts are and then develop them.”
“Team Brian”
Brian Brown of Harrisburg won gold Saturday in the 50-meter run and experienced a lot of love after receiving his medal. Family members, some wearing ‘Team Brian’ t-shirts, greeted him with smiles and hugs. Included was a group hug from Brown’s nieces and nephews.
Brown’s mother, Jennifer Ratley, said her son began competing in with Special Olympics when he was nine. He’s 32 now. “We have a lot of medals,” Ratley said. “We have everything, every color, even a few ribbons.
“He loves being up here. He has friends here from everywhere. He doesn’t know a stranger. Even though they race against each other, they’re all friends. They do it for fun.”
Kinleys carry on
The Summer Games continued a long association with Special Olympics for Kurt and Karen Kinley of Normal. Kurt, 24, competed in a relay and the 400-meter run. Karen, 18, took part in the softball throw and 100-meter run. Kurt has competed since he was eight years old.
“I like to get medals for everyone,” he said. “I like to inspire other people. Every athlete is so amazing.”
Kurt and Karen compete for Bloomington’s SOAR. They are supported by their parents, Dave and Michele Kinley. Dave is a former school administrator and Michele is a Special Education teacher in McLean County Unit 5.
“We’ve been very fortunate to live in a community where there are so many different opportunities,” Dave Kinley said. “Two weeks ago, we did Pizza in the Park through SOAR. It was for dads, so it was Kurt, Karen and me. Karen is going to take a candle making class through SOAR. There are just a lot of things.
“It’s been a real blessing to our family.”
From a mall to medals
When Eric Haderlein of Libertyville was very young, he would run through a local mall during the winter to “get some energy out,” said his mother, Ann Haderlein.
“There was a girl working there who would watch him every morning and she was like, ‘One day, I bet he’s going to be in the Olympics,’” Ann said. “Now, he is!”
It may not be in the international Olympics, but the state Summer Games are exhilarating for Eric, 29. He has competed for many years and relished the bronze medal he won Saturday. Asked what he likes best about the Special Olympics Illinois, he replied, “Winning and having fun.”
“He really looks forward to it,” his mother said. “It gets him out and it’s social. He was very excited (by the medal). He feels very proud of himself.”
To learn more about the 2025 Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games, please visit soill.org/summergames.
by lauryn | Mar 12, 2025 | Athletes, Families, Mission Focused, Region K, Sports, State Tournaments, Uncategorized
By Randy Kindred
Eric Baumann lives in the small southern Illinois town of Vienna, which he described this way: “It is 1,400 people or less. It has one stoplight, and the stoplight isn’t really a stoplight. It’s a blinking light.”
That said, Eric and his mother, Kathy Baumann, eagerly shine a light on Special Olympics throughout Illinois. They attend Special Olympics Illinois tournaments and events to provide information to families, answer questions and promote family engagement.
Saturday, they were behind the Families table at Normal Community High School as part of the Special Olympics Illinois State Basketball Tournament.
Eric Baumann, 41, has competed with Special Olympics Illinois since fourth grade. His mother was introduced to the organization at that time and soon grew to love it. She and her son have covered a lot of miles to share its benefits with families new to Special Olympics Illinois.
“Have wheels, will travel,” said Kathy Baumann, who also lives in Vienna. “Special Olympics Illinois Families have some new things on the horizon that they’re trying to do. Some of the outreach is that when new people come in, they have a partner and an established family member who can mentor them through the process. It is a learning process.”
She is quick to tell newcomers how Special Olympics Illinois “have made a tremendous difference in my life and in the life of my child.”
Eric Baumann still competes in “six or seven sports,” his mother said. He lives independently in Vienna and has a job in Carbondale, which is about a 45-minute drive. Eric drives himself to a federal building there and performs custodial work.
In Special Olympics Illinois, he is part of the Athlete Leadership team.
“Physically, he still competes, and that’s a wonderful thing,” Kathy Baumann said. “Leadership wise, he’s been given opportunities to speak, serve on the board of directors, serve on different committees. It’s opened doors for him to be a part of something much bigger than just competition.”
Through the Families network, the Baumanns encourage family members of Special Olympics Illinois athletes to get involved as volunteers, coaches and/or Unified partners. They discuss how important their engagement can be in enhancing the experience of the athletes.
It all means a great deal to Eric Baumann.
“I feel like helping others is my reward and just seeing them succeed is the best part,” he said. “And seeing the athletes grow. It brings joy and camaraderie. You see it all.”
Eric Baumann competes for the Big Muddy Crew, an agency headed by his mother.
“There are about 20 of us. We’re small but mighty,” Kathy said. “He (Eric) has been to Ireland, so I’ve traveled to Ireland. We’ve been to Nebraska, to Louisiana, to Florida, for the Illinois team and delegation and for my team. There are many, many doors if you choose to go through them.
“I think most families will tell you it’s the impact it (Special Olympics Illinois) has made on their child’s life. As a parent of a child with a disability, sometimes you try to even the playing field for them. Here, it’s an equal playing field.”
And, she said, the families network is eager to help.
“Somebody new coming in can reach out to me in southern Illinois and say, ‘Hey, I’d like to know about Special Olympics. What does it entail?’” she said. “I could go to the first practice with them and say here’s what you can expect. It’s really just helping them through that initial, ‘What have I walked into?’ ”
Learn more about the Special Olympics Illinois Families network.
Exciting Debut
The Belvidere BucThunder made its state tournament debut Saturday. The senior division team includes special needs athletes from Belvidere’s two high schools: Belvidere High and Belvidere North.
The BucThunder’s opening game came down to the final second. Belvidere took a 40-38 lead on a basket with 15 seconds left, then saw a shot by the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA) Wildcats bounce off the rim as the buzzer sounded.
“It was very stressful. But they held on and they did amazing,” said BucThunder coach Cori Wesselhoff. “They just show so much excitement and they’re so proud of themselves. They’ve worked very hard to get here.”
Afterward, the teams and the game officials posed for a group photo. Everyone smiled.
True “Winning”
The Weston Bridges Warriors out of Aurora hung on for a 35-32 semifinal win over the Winchester Area Special Olympics AlleyKatz. There was a sigh of relief for the Warriors’ Cameron Fawver, first-year head coach of the senior division team after two as an assistant.
Yet, for Fawver, “winning” is not tied to the final score of a game. It came earlier this season when the parent of a player shared what being on his team has meant.
“They said, ‘My child has had such a hard time making friends and building a community. This basketball team brings that community to their doorstop,’” Fawver said.
“Maybe they’re a little shy or something. This allows them to break out of that comfort zone and meet a whole bunch of people who are in the same boat as them and just want to have a good time.”
Fawver also has benefited.
“No matter what my day is like before I get here, everything stops at those gym doors and all I can focus on is: Is everyone having fun and are we trying our hardest?” he said. “I can stop worrying about my problems for a little bit and just focus on basketball, which I love to do.”
Click to view results and photos from the 2025 State Basketball Tournament.
