The Miles Series 2/4: Rachel, Mom

(THE MILES SERIES 2/4: Rachel, Mom)

Players on both teams and spectators chanted “Miles, Miles, Miles” as their “lucky charm” ran onto the court and passed the ball to his teammate. It didn’t matter what the score was - what mattered was how two teams came together in the most beautiful display of sportsmanship we’d ever witnessed and Miles was the glue.  

It began in the fall of 2022 when I shared a piece that Heather Avis wrote about her daughter Macy’s experience participating in a local soccer program. I wished that our community sports programs were more inclusive and less competitive. When we push a “winning is everything” mentality on young children, it doesn’t bode well for the child with a disability that wants to participate. 

A friend reached out to see if Miles would like to play on her son’s basketball team. His teammates were a year or two older but welcomed Miles on the team with open arms. Miles was placed on the team as a coach’s assistant; helping with the score and cheering on the players as well as participating in practice and the last quarter of each game. His team won every game once he started and they nicknamed him “The Beast”. A coach from an opposing team shared a video of Miles playing in a moment when his son handed him the ball. He also shared this sentiment after the game, “Sometimes winning & losing gets prioritized even at this young of an age. Even though my team lost, I never felt better after a game. It didn’t matter that we lost and playing with Miles was an amazing moment for all of us.”  

When the season was over, Miles was asked to participate with the same group of players as they transitioned to their baseball season. The impact Miles has made on our local community has been beautiful to witness. For us, Miles is making friends and teaching them that we all deserve a chance to have fun and learn to play. On the other hand, his team and the coaches are learning that true sportsmanship is more than winning. It’s about meeting your teammates where they are physically and emotionally. If the right supports are in place for a child to grow, they will bloom.