The spirit of sports

The World Cup has grabbed headlines this summer, but the Special Olympics USA Games captured hearts, and a TAHS graduate soaked it all in

When it comes to sports, there are winners and losers. When it comes to Special Olympics, everyone wins.

That is something that Mark Peterson has learned over his years of coaching a variety of sports for the developmentally disabled.

And recently, Peterson, a 1986 graduate of Tracy Area High School, had the honor of coaching the Team Minnesota soccer squad at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Blaine.

“Obviously, the kids want to win,” Peterson said. “They wanted to win, they wanted to be competitive, but it was all about the experience of what the Games are all about. “

Team Minnesota ended up with a silver medal. The championship match was against Colorado, and the two teams battled to a scoreless tie after regulation. Colorado scored two goals in extra time, and Minnesota later cut it to 2-1, which was the final score.

As it turned out, it was only a score — two numbers that signified the winning team but did nothing to encapsulate the true moment — the epitome of what the Games are all about.

“At the end of the game, they shook hands, said congratulations and all met at midfield for a team picture with both teams,” Peterson said. “As we were going through the line, the Colorado players handed us Colorado hats. We lost the game, but you would think that nothing happened.”

One of Peterson’s athletes told him after the lost to Colorado that it was one of the best games he’s ever played in.

Teams qualified for the Games back in 2024, Peterson said. Minnesota at that time had two soccer teams that combined into one for the event, and this year’s team was the first from Minnesota to ever go to the Games.

“We got it down to 10 kids total — nine males, one female,” Peterson said. “Some of the kids said they couldn’t stay there for eight days (of qualifying).”

The June 20-26 USA Games brought together 3,000 athletes, 1,500 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and 75,000 fans to Minnesota from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Events ranged from traditional sports like soccer, golf and gymnastics, to corn hole, bocce and powerlifting. The Minnesota contingent alone included 270 athletes and coaches.

“We were the biggest delegation of the Games,” said Peterson.

The six-day event might have centered around sports and competition, but Peterson said he and his athletes took away much more than results on the field. It was a true community event where athletes from all over the country didn’t just battle on the field or pitch, they got to meet people they otherwise never would have.

That started with a tradition known as pin trading, where athletes, Unified partners and coaches literally traded pins from their home state that included a symbol representing the state.

“The pin trading went on Friday and Saturday and was amazing,” said Peterson, who lives in Shakopee and coaches the Savage-Prior Lake Lakers delegation. “You can imagine these Special Olympic athletes that might be on the spectrum and don’t like talking to people — that was a way for them to break the ice. I have kids on my team who are very quiet and reserved, but they would go up to complete strangers.”

Team Minnesota members traded pins with one and all, even with athletes from Maryland, the team they were to play the following day. On this day, like all others during the Games, there was no attitude, no one-upmanship. No swagger or bravado.

“The whole (U of M) campus was alive with that,” Peterson said. “We were just amazed with these kids; It was ‘Welcome to Minnesota,’ ‘Thanks for coming,’ ‘Good luck.’ It was amazing.”

Peterson said it was important to prep his athletes for what they were to expect at the Games, as these were no ordinary soccer games. The bleachers were filled with thousands of spectators, which is enough to cause some anxiety for any athlete, let alone those with developmental challenges.

“We prepped them for it,” he said. “But they feed off of that enthusiasm. We do have couple kids that can get over-stimulated if it’s a big area with lots of people. We coaches were right by them, monitoring them. They were excited to see all the people.”

Coaching Special Olympics is personal for Peterson, who actually coaches seven Special Olympic sports. Yes, he has always loved sports, but his son, Isaiah, is on the autism spectrum, and his daughter, Olivia, suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

“It’s just the joy of the athletes competing,” he said. “I have some skin in the game with two kids who are athletes, but it’s the joy of just being around the kids. Why do people do this? It’s like, why not? I get so much out of it, watching the kids try so hard.”