Special Olympics Idaho Unified Pair competes at USA Games, qualifies for World Games
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – In June 2021, Matthew Creighton was patrol deputy with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office in Idaho. By June 2022, he was competing as a Unified Pair in golf at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, FL. After being approached by Special Olympics Idaho, Matthew accepted the opportunity and met his partner, Jake Kerr. Matthew had the amazing privilege of telling Jake (a long-time Special Olympics athlete) that he’d qualified to go to USA Games. One of just 22 Idaho athletes.
Matthew and Jake bonded quickly and even quicker, became a force to be reckoned with. The pair trained almost weekly from July 2021, giving this opportunity all they had to give. At USA Games the pair played on one of the hardest courses in the US, Orange County National Golf Center. After 4 days of competition, Jake and Matthew walked away in 4th place nationally and qualified for a spot at the 2023 World Games in Berlin, Germany.
Through this experience, Jake and Matt have formed an unbreakable bond and lifetime friendship. These days, you will find them at courses around Coeur D’Alene, training for world games. You’ll also find Matthew working at Special Olympics Idaho as the Unified Champion Schools Manager.
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools and is education and sports-based programming led through student engagement. With the assistance of funding from Special Olympics North America and the Office of Special Education Programs, Special Olympics Idaho and partner schools serve as a force for social inclusion across the state. Our vision is to create a world where people with intellectual disabilities are welcomed in their communities and join with others to learn, work, compete and play, having the same rights and opportunities as others. Unified Schools and Unified Pairs were inspired by a simple principle: when people with and without intellectual disabilities train together, play together, and learn together the path to friendship and understanding is easily paved.
If you or someone you know would like to join Special Olympics Idaho as an athlete, coach, partner or volunteer, please visit our website https://www.SpecialOlympicsIdaho.org for more information.
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