Illinois Aurora Special Olympics soccer team wins state championship

AURORA — The Fox Valley Special Recreation Association Kickers soccer team was honored at City Council last week for winning top honors at the Illinois Special Olympics this year.

The team ended their season with a 9-2-1 record and won the state championship.

“It was a pretty big deal for our athletes,” said Meghan O’Keefe, FVSRA athletics coordinator. “It’s been seven years since the Kickers have had a soccer team, let alone won a state championship.”

The Aurora Special Olympics soccer team won at district in Rockford and went on to play in the Illinois Summer Games Special Olympics at Illinois State University in Normal. The team won first place in both games.

“They are the state champions and beat everyone,” said Alderman John “Whitey” Peters, 5th Ward, before leading the team in a chant at City Council last week.

O’Keefe said that Mark Pickett, President of the Kickers Soccer Club, provided training and the FVSRA provided staff time to work with the athletes.

According to O’Keefe, the FVSRA Kickers team has 12 members, ages 13 to 57. O’Keefe said the team members have a variety of developmental delays.

Waubonsie student honored

Blake Yee, a Naperville resident and freshman at Waubonsie Valley High School, won a Division I silver medal at the Illinois Special Olympics Unified Soccer tournament. Yee competed on the Blue Warstangs team.

Blake’s sister, Alyssa Yee, a sophomore at Waubonsie, assisted several of the Blue Warstangs team members through the Best Buddies program, which aims to connect volunteers with people with developmental disabilities. She also earned a Division I silver medal.