As Tania Sauer made her way around the track at San Benito High School, special education students called out for her with smiles beaming across their faces.
They ran up and hugged “Ms. Tania”, as she is affectionately known on campus, or waved excitedly as they walked by. She holds a special place in the heart of these students as she and her husband Sam Sauer helped launch the latest edition of the Gifted Games.
Tania, a teacher at San Benito High School, began volunteering with the Gifted Games nine years ago. As she stared out at the crowd during the May 15 event, she was in disbelief over how much it has grown.
The Games, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, started with 30 students participating in non-traditional games like balancing eggs on a spoon and potato sack races. This year 380 athletes from the San Benito, Gilroy and Aromas-San Juan unified school districts descended on San Benito High to take part in events including a mile run, wheelchair races and the 50- and 100-yard dash.
“We made this event from 30 people, just 30 kids out here jumping around, to now this event where I have 380 athletes, 150 student helpers and 1,000 kids in the stands watching us,” Tania said. “It’s just so great that the school has accepted it.”
The event’s growth can be credited to Tania and Sam’s unique relationship. When Tania met Sam, who teaches at Gilroy High, they came up with the idea to combine the event. They wanted it to span the districts and alternate sites between the two high schools each year.
The couple spends all year planning the Games. They start by choosing a date and then begin getting the information to the different schools and teachers as waivers are needed to get the students out of class for the day. The Sauers coordinate transportation, food, decorations and get the coveted Gifted Games medals ready for the athletes to receive at the end of the day. It’s a lot of work for a few hours, but Sam said it’s definitely worth it.
“It’s all about the smiles on the participants’ faces at the end of the day. This is the highlight of their year for many of the students,” he said. “They get the spotlight; they have 1,000 students in the stands cheering them all on.”
Since San Benito County doesn’t have a Special Olympics chapter, this event is a once-a-year chance for the special education students to participate in events they miss out on through Hollister Recreation or the high school athletic programs. Even though the districts do not sponsor it, Gilroy Unified School District Program Specialist Robert Whalen said they happily give the Gifted Games their full support in any area needed.
“I think the kids really enjoy it. They love being able to play for the day,” Whalen said. “I think it’s important for the parents and families (to be) able to enjoy it with their kids and have some sense of normalcy.”
In terms of each race or event, scores are not recorded and no one can place higher than anyone else. Instead, Tania said, the idea of the day is to encourage fitness and for the athletes to do their best. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t competitive.
“(I like) that I can contribute a lot to this school and see everybody do their best. (I like) to know that (Gilroy) is the best at what it is and to know that our school is ready to put some muscle in it,” said Juliet Brandon, a 20-year-old special education student at Gilroy High.
While Brandon competes in events like the Turbo Javelin Throw or the Running Long Jump, she receives words of encouragement from not only her teammates, but from the Balers Gifted Cheerleaders, too.
Gifted Cheerleaders like Karissa Agan encouraged all the athletes, who range from 3 to 25 years old. Agan and her teammates even performed a special routine during the Games, which she said was the highlight of her day.
“I love it; we do a lot of songs, different songs,” Agan said. “It was really fun.”
It was a beautiful sight to see people from Christopher, Gilroy and San Benito working side-by-side and cheering each other on, but the students from all the schools work together seamlessly—just like the Sauers.
Tania said she’s thrilled with how the event runs now, but would love to see it expand to include other districts like Morgan Hill. For her and Sam, the more smiling faces, the better.
“They may not do it right all the time, but they give their best shot,” Tania said. “I just can’t get over how fun this is. Stressful? Yes, but so much fun.”
“Although it’s a lot of work, we’ll get letters in the mail from parents with pictures of their child participating with a big smile of their face,” Sam added. “Kids will wear their medals weeks after the event and wear their medal to school everyday. That’s what makes it all worth it.”
