This award is granted to schools that meet 10 standards, demonstrating a commitment to creating an inclusive environment. These standards include offering unified sports, such as 4-on-4 basketball and cornhole, ensuring equal recognition for all participants, fostering youth leadership, and engaging the entire school community.

UofL’s engagement with Special Olympics Kentucky (SOKY) spans decades and originally started with the university hosting some of the SOKY competitions. Over the past 10 years, the collaboration has deepened, , making UofL eligible for the UCS National Banner recognition.

“The UofL Campus Recreation Department is one of the most well-regarded programs in the country when it comes to collegiate Unified Sports,” said Karen Michalak-Parsley, senior director of SOKY Unified Champion Schools. “UofL has become valued members of our Special Olympics Kentucky family. The partnership we have is a model for other universities and SO State Programs. We feel extremely lucky to have a partner who not only welcomes us but seeks to do more for our athletes year after year.”

UofL’s commitment to building its unified sports program began in 2016 through the Campus Recreation Department, with the goal of fostering inclusivity across the entire campus.

“Sports takes away that barrier where you might not talk to someone but through playing sports, you connect with them,” said Eric Piernas, assistant director of intramural sports.

Eli Just, a senior in the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, has been a dedicated participant since his first year. He began with 4-on-4 basketball and has since traveled with the team to national tournaments.

“I can honestly say there has never been a time at a Special Olympics event where I have been competing or just there to volunteer that I haven’t had a smile on my face the entire time,” he said.

His participation in the national tournament was “hands down one of the coolest experiences” he had in college. 

“Going and competing with athletes and partners that I can call friends was truly an experience I will never forget,” said Just. “The smiles players would have when they hit a big shot, and the high fives they’d give you when you’d hit one was beyond compare.”

UofL joins an elite group of only 26 colleges and universities nationwide to hold the National Banner status. The university will maintain this honor from 2024 to 2027 and will continue to collaborate with Special Olympics Kentucky to expand their partnership.

The first director, Ellis Mendelsohn, was hired in 1953. He held that position for decades before Dale Ramsay took over in 1980. Ramsay retired in November after 41 years and proudly passed the position onto Justin Peterson, while joking Peterson should go for a new record and serve for 42 years.

Peterson completed his undergraduate degree at Michigan Central University, where he was a sports official and supervisor in the Intramural Sports program. He then became a graduate assistant in the Department of Recreational Sports at Indiana State University, where he received a MS in Recreation and Sport Management.

In 2010, Peterson began his career at UofL. As a longtime member of the Cardinal community, he’s well known for establishing the Special Olympics program here in 2016. His dedication to that initiative led to UofL’s unified basketball team becoming the first ever to represent Special Olympics Kentucky at the USA Game.

Peterson’s first title at UofL was coordinator for Intramural Sports. He worked under Ramsey, who quickly became an influential mentor, and was eventually promoted to assistant director of Intramural Sports and then to associate director of Facilities. He’s been involved in nearly every aspect of the Student Recreation Center’s programming.

Now, he’ll be overseeing the people who hold these positions that he once did. His leadership is respected among peers as he’s spent more than 10 years building trust across campus.

“Dale taught me a lot about relationship building because it’s a really big piece of the job. If people don’t know who you are, they’re not going to call on you. But, if they meet you and know that they can call on you, they learn that they can trust you. Being able to have those conversations and doing the small things for people will go a long way,” said Peterson.

Peterson doesn’t just do the “small things” for others, though, he goes the extra mile.  While continuing cherished traditions like the Turkey Trot and Canoe Regatta, he’s also expanding programming to reach more students with varied interests. In this spirit, the name of the SRC’s department was recently changed from “Intramural and Recreational Sports Department” to “Campus Recreation.” 

Their purpose is to “…improve the quality of life and sense of belonging for all members of the University of Louisville community,” so he feels that the new name more accurately represents what they’re about. He’s continuing to broaden the vision of inclusivity by working with other departments to create programs that reach people with interests beyond the fitness center, field and court.

One way he plans to do this is by offering more activities in nature, such as hiking trips, alternative breaks at outdoor recreation spots and community cleanups. 

Peterson is fostering an environment that’s welcoming for everybody, while also addressing the holistic wellbeing of each person. He’s found that recreation can be a unique catalyst for getting students to open up about mental health.

“There are emotional health initiatives that we can do because one of the beauties of the sports setting is that you can break down some barriers. You’ve got people who might not be willing to open up and talk about things, but if you get them out on the basketball court, you can start having a conversation. You get to know a lot about a person and create a connection with them,” he said.

The SRC’s intramural sports teams and clubs have been a great avenue for the UofL community to do just that. There are more than 25 clubs, from ballroom dancing to basketball to badminton, where connections are being formed and students get to explore fitness while having fun.

The connections Peterson has built continue to benefit every program he’s involved in. With his drive and dedication, he may just break that 42-year record. 

The team combines traditional Special Olympics athletes with teammates who do not have an intellectual disability to train and compete together and includes six athletes, four unified partners and two coaches. It is the first unified team that Special Olympics Kentucky has ever sent to a USA Games.

The roster includes:

• Athlete Nick Coslow, 23, of Louisville is a 2016 graduate of Male High School. Coslow has been involved in Special Olympics since 2013, competing in basketball, bowling, flag football, softball and track and field in addition to unified sports. He has worked at Kentucky Kingdom and Griff’s Restaurant in the past and currently works at Cabela’s. Coslow also has volunteered at Norton Children’s Hospital and the Louisville Zoo.
• Unified partner Michelle Goderwis, 19, is from Newport, Kentucky, and is a sophomore at UofL majoring in economics and sustainability. She has been active in Unified Sports at Louisville since arriving on campus, participating in basketball, bocce and human foosball. She plans to attend law school and hopes to practice environmental law.
• Athlete Hunter Kasse, 21, of Louisville has been involved in Special Olympics for eight years, competing in basketball, bowling, golf, softball and track and field. He has worked as a package handler at UPS for the past two years.
• Athlete Tim Kornrumpf, 30, of Louisville is the only member of the team with previous USA Games experience, having competed in track and field at the 2010 Games in Lincoln, Nebraska. There he won a gold medal in the 4×100 relay and a bronze in the 100-meter dash. Kornrumpf followed that in 2014 in New Jersey, competing as part of the Team Kentucky flag football team that claimed a bronze medal. A Special Olympics athlete for 19 years, he has competed in basketball, bowling, cheerleading, flag football, softball, swimming and track and field. Kornrumpf is starting a job soon at UPS.
• Athlete Trent Martinez, 24, of Louisville has been a Special Olympics athlete for nine years competing in basketball, flag football, soccer and softball. Martinez has worked at UPS unloading trucks for four years.
• Athlete Garrett Nason, 19, of Louisville has been a Special Olympics athlete for nine years, competing in basketball, bowling, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and track and field. Nason’s sister, Kalina, also participates in the program. Nason works at UPS unloading package containers.
• Unified partner Eric Piernas Jr., 24, is from Rineyville, Kentucky, and has been instrumental in the growth of the Unified Sports program at UofL. He has participated in unified basketball for several years and has competed at two NIRSA National Unified Basketball Championships. Piernas is working toward his master’s degree in sports administration and has worked in UofL Intramural and Recreational Sports for five years.
• Athlete Cory Pitsenberger, 23, of Louisville is a graduate of Eastern High School where he participated on the unified basketball and track teams. He also was a team manager for the varsity basketball team. He has been involved in Special Olympics for 12 years competing in basketball, flag football, soccer and softball. Pitsenberger was a member of the unified basketball teams that represented UofL in the 2018 and 2019 NIRSA National Basketball Championships. He works at the Nike Outlet Store.
• Unified partner Kevin Sullivan, 21, is a UofL senior and serves on the DeSales High School basketball coaching staff. While at UofL, he has participated in the unified basketball program. Sullivan is a civil and environmental engineering major and has plans to become a water resource engineer.
• Unified partner Olivia Whitehead, 20, is a sophomore at UofL, where she has participated in unified basketball, bocce and human foosball. Whitehead is majoring in bioengineering and plans to become a physician assistant or work developing new prosthetics.

The team will be coached by Katherine Halbleib and Justin Peterson. Halbleib is the assistant director of intramural sports at UofL and the main liaison for Special Olympics. Halbleib graduated from UofL with a bachelor’s in sport administration in 2017 and completed her MBA in 2019.

Peterson is the associate director of facility operations for UofL Intramural and Recreational Sports. He earned a bachelor’s in history and social sciences from Central Michigan University and a master’s in recreation and sport management from Indiana State University.

“We’re excited to once again have the opportunity to send athletes, unified partners and coaches to the USA Games,” said Special Olympics Kentucky President and CEO Trish Mazzoni. “Being selected to Team Kentucky for the Games is not only a tremendous honor for our athletes, but it offers a great opportunity for personal growth. We have seen many of our athletes be transformed by this experience at the previous four USA Games that have been held. Plus, with these games being held largely at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex, it will be a one-of-a-kind environment and a chance to compete in world-class facilities.”

The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, scheduled for June 5-12 in Orlando, Florida, will unite more than 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the Caribbean. The unified collegiate team joins six other Louisville-area athletes who will compete at the 2022 USA Games: Dallas Derringer, Justin Hale, Austin Stine, Michaela Hickerson, Caitlin Roy and Trevor Yates.

UofL was the first university in Kentucky to implement the Special Olympics unified college program and basketball was the first opportunity that was offered. Bocce and human foosball have since been added. Team Kentucky will compete against teams from colleges in Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, North Carolina and Texas at the USA Games.

The 2022 USA Games are the fifth such games in Special Olympics history. Past USA Games were held in 2006 in Ames, Iowa; 2010 in Lincoln, Nebraska; in 2014 in New Jersey; and in 2018 in Seattle.

Now, bocce ball has been added to the mix. In 2020, UofL was the first college in the nation to host a Unified Bocce Ball Tournament with SOKY athletes and in partnership with SOKY. The tournament was comprised of four university students and four SOKY athletes who were split into unified pairs.

Bocce ball has become one of the most popular sports worldwide for Special Olympic athletes, partly due to its accessibility. Bocce ball is a universal game that is not complex for any newcomers to learn and allows players to focus on the company they keep and the atmosphere that’s created. SOKY prides itself on athletes being able to play by the sports’ rules and teach everyone there to participate.

“This was my first time playing any bocce,” said Dallas Derringer, a SOKY athlete. “I safely met new people while playing during a pandemic. My partner’s name was Sean and I got to see my friend, Pat.”

Being the first college in the nation to host the Unified Bocce Ball Tournament shows the strength of UofL’s relationship with Special Olympics and serves as a spark for other colleges to take UofL’s lead with their respective Special Olympics state organizations.

UofL students who volunteered to be a part of the tournament believe the partnership with SOKY has impacted their lives.

“I have been fortunate to be a regular volunteer with SOKY for around four years now, so it has been very rewarding to see the Unified Sports program expand to UofL”, said Corey Chitwood, a graduate student completing his MEng in Bioengineering at the university. “It is important for me to interact with individuals with different backgrounds than my own. It is also important to make sure everyone in our community feels included to participate, so it was awesome the UofL could partner with SOKY for a unified event that was accessible to those at all ability levels.”

SOKY serves over 11,000 athletes who participate in the statewide program.

“Besides our sports initiatives, we offer services to our athletes in the realm of our Healthy Athletes Program. It is designed in improving overall health, wellness and fitness of our athletes,” said Karen Michalak-Parsley, director of the Unified Champion Schools.

Intramural and Recreational Sports and SOKY’s partnership is another way that the university achieves its goal of diversity and inclusion for the UofL community and the city. According to Michalak-Parsley, there is a desire to introduce more unified sports to the university and have more participation in the future.

“I had never had the chance to be involved in an event like this before, and I wanted to rise to the opportunity. To put things in perspective, it was most important to me that the Special Olympics athletes had fun and felt included,” said Rebecca Shelby, a UofL student volunteer. “I am proud to have been a part of the University of Louisville making strides to be more diverse and inclusive. This event opened the door to have more events like this where students of the university can help create an accepting environment with unity among unique individuals.”

University of Louisville physical medicine and rehabilitation resident and faculty physicians provided the service as part of MedFest, an event organized by  in partnership with Jefferson County Public Schools.

MedFest, part of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Initiative, is an annual event providing free pre-participation physicals for SOKY athletes and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the community age 8 through adult. The physicals are required for the athletes to compete in Special Olympics activities or unified track or bowling through the Kentucky High School Athletic Association. Optional dental, vision and hearing screenings also are offered to the students and athletes.

“It’s so important for our athletes to receive the medical screenings that they need. We know that through MedFest screenings, underlying conditions a lot of times are determined,” said Kim Satterwhite, senior director of field and athlete services for SOKY.

Priya Chandan, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the UofL Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation who serves as clinical director for the event, said participation in MedFest is not only a service to the community, but also a learning opportunity for the providers.

“Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience health disparities, partly because many physicians in the community are not trained to provide care for them,” Chandan said. “It’s important for our trainees – medical residents and students, nurse practitioner and nursing students, and other providers – to have this opportunity to interact with this population.”

Maria Janakos, MD, a resident physician in physical medicine and rehabilitation, was one of 10 UofL physicians who volunteered to provide pre-participation physical exams at this year’s event.

“The athletes are amazing individuals who have tremendous motivation and determination to succeed,” Janakos said. “It is rewarding to have the opportunity to interact with them. One of the individuals I met loves to play basketball. He told me his favorite athlete was LeBron James.”

MedFest has been held every year since 2005. The location alternates between Louisville and Lexington, however UofL PM&R physicians and trainees provide the screenings every year.

Dallas Derringer, one of the athletes at the event to obtain a physical for bowling, basketball and softball, expressed gratitude for the service:  “This physical is going to help me be ready.”

Check out video from Special Olympics MedFest 2018. 

The Special Olympics gold medalist traveled to Louisville last week from his native St. Kitts in the Caribbean to receive pro bono clinical care from and a sports prosthesis from that would retail for about $61,000.

While training for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles, Foster was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, which required his left leg to be amputated above the knee.

“It was devastating because tennis is my world. It almost felt like it was the end of life,” Foster said. “But, I became determined to not give up. I’ve been living life to the fullest ever since and trying to be strong for me and my mom.”

Foster, 24, not only lost his leg, but the cancer had spread to his lungs, requiring surgery and chemotherapy, which he received in New York because adequate treatment was not available in the Caribbean.

He continued to play tennis, albeit with great difficulty, on one leg. Special Olympics officials started raising money to get Foster a prosthetic leg and news of the effort reached Matt Holder, MD, MBA, chief executive officer of the in Louisville, who also serves as the global medical adviser for Special Olympics.

Seeking help, Holder contacted Priya Chandan, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in UofL’s Department of Neurological Surgery and a Special Olympics Kentucky board member. Through the UofL connection, Matthew Adamkin, MD, UofL Physicians-Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, was tapped to provide care at no cost to Foster. Adamkin prescribed the prosthetic and worked closely with licensed prosthetist and pedorthotist Wayne Luckett of Louisville Prosthetics to ensure it would meet Foster’s needs. Luckett obtained specialized components for the prosthetic through donations from Freedom Innovations, Martin-Martin Bionics, Endolite North America and American Prosthetics.

Foster must learn to trust his prosthetic, placing more weight on it in order to improve his movement.

“It’s hard work to wear a prosthetic,” Luckett said. “It requires 100-percent more energy to move compared to able-bodied people. He’s already an athlete and in good shape, but we’re going to get him in better shape so he can return to the tennis courts and be competitive again.”

Also during his time in Louisville, Foster underwent a CT scan of his chest with support from the Mary Jane Gift Quality of Life Fund through the . The fund was established by Tommy and Alex Gift to honor their mother after she lost her life to cancer.

Foster received good news; his CT scan showed no evidence of cancer. Megan Nelson, MD, UofL-Physicians-Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, who specializes in cancer rehabilitation, helped organize the CT scan and arranged for Foster to meet with a sarcoma support group.

After a couple days of physical therapy, Foster trained on the tennis court with Rex Ecarma, UofL men’s tennis head coach, and Jeff Bourns, an amputee and Adapted Touring tennis player who holds a Top 5 World Rank (Category A) on the TAP World Tour.

The effort by multiple organizations to improve Foster’s mobility and help him return to competitive tennis was extraordinary, Adamkin said.

“I’ve never been a part of anything like this,” Adamkin said. “Dionte’s strides have been remarkable. With every day, he will get more confident and secure with the prosthesis.”
Foster said he is determined to make his story an example that inspires others to overcome adversity.

“It’s a game changer,” Foster said of receiving his new leg. “This has been an honor and I’m really thankful. It’s amazing to know I have a leg to go back home with and put my crutches aside.”

Through ESPN’s sponsorship, UofL and Special Olympics Kentucky partnered together to host the first ever Unified Intramural Championship in basketball this year at the Student Recreational Center. Hayden Redmond, a Special Olympian, commented on the partnership saying that “UofL teaming with Special Olympics is awesome and it’s amazing.” 

Due to the tremendous amount of support the event received from the UofL students and the Special Olympians, this program plans to continue annual 5-on-5 basketball championships. Eventually they hope to include other intramural sports and expand outreach to other college campuses in Kentucky.

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