Every few weeks in the Bowling Green State University Perry Fieldhouse Track Room, Aaron Cowdrey meets with his friends—a group of people of all ages and abilities who both radiate joy and are excited to play sports together.

That’s exactly what RallyCap Sports, a chapter-based organization at BGSU, does alongside young adults and people who have a disability from across northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

“I think that people often underestimate students who have exceptionalities or disabilities,” said Carly Kubak, a senior and the director of BGSU’s RallyCap chapter this year. “I think it’s important to notice and recognize that they are able to accomplish more than I think people think they can, and they deserve to have opportunities—the same opportunities that their peers have.”

RallyPlayers, the individuals who learn to play sports adapted to each player’s needs, and RallyPals, the student volunteers of the group, are paired up to teach new sports and provide the RallyPlayers with the same opportunities as other people.

Nearly 7 million people with an intellectual or developmental disability live in the United States as of 2019, according to the University of Minnesota.

For someone who may not understand why individuals with disabilities need inclusive and accessible options to participate in sports like others, Jennifer Cowdrey said it how she sees it.

“Well, they’re a person just like everybody else. They deserve those same rights you and I have to participate in sports and have friends, and I want [Aaron] to be able to experience those just like anybody else,” said Jennifer.

Now, 10 years after the organization’s creation, RallyCap Sports typically serves around 40 families, 20 athletes and 15 BGSU student volunteers.

Photo by BGSU RallyCap Sports.

In 2014, BGSU became the very first university in the U.S. to have a RallyCap chapter. The organization has since grown to include a presence on 19 college campuses across the United States, according to RallyCap’s website.

The founder of RallyCap and BGSU alum, Paul Hooker, came to BGSU’s campus and charged one of the university’s business students, Luke Sims, with starting a student organization based on the softball league started in 1990 in New Jersey for a child who used a wheelchair and couldn’t fully participate.

“As soon as I found out, I reached out to Luke and I said, ‘You need me, and let’s do this together,’” said Mariana Mitova, the BGSU RallyCap faculty adviser. “As a parent of a child with special needs, I really knew of the opportunity that this would provide to any community members, any families with children with special needs.”

Mitova said she knew her own son could benefit from a group like this being brought near her family.

“For recreational sports, for a lot of fun, for socialization—anything that my son really lacked at that time. The first year was pretty much just [Luke] and I trying to develop the brand and make plans on how the whole organization would run, and then the following year, we had a full-blown student organization, and the rest is history,” said Mitova.

Photo by BGSU RallyCap Sports.

On one recent Sunday, RallyPlayers and RallyPals met in BGSU’s Student Rec Center to give the RallyPlayers a chance to learn more about their favorite sport.

The teams started with stretches, and then chose an Olympic sport to practice with their teammate.

This was week two of a three-week Olympic sports session. During the first week, athletes learn the rules and skills of a specific sport, and then by the end of that “season,” the athletes play a scrimmage or game, followed by a trophy ceremony.

“It is always fun to see any of our athletes just come, throw their coats out, grab a ball and go play,” Mitova said.

For athletes like Aaron Cowdrey, who has attended nearly every RallyCap event for the past four years, it’s a time to have fun.

Aaron said his favorite sports to play in the organization are basketball and soccer. Mitova said Aaron is really fast when he plays.

“Yeah, I am,” Aaron said.

During each session, the RallyPals help each athlete work towards a customized goal they set.

“My favorite part is being able to witness the joy that they have when they accomplish a skill,” Kubak said. “It’s been cool to see their growth over the last four years because they’ve gone from goals of being able to be in the room for the whole time to being able to shoot a basket or participating by being able to participate in a sport with their peers.”

Kubak said it’s the small things along the way that help propel each athlete’s accomplishments forward.

“When I see their smile on their face at the end of the day when we do our scrimmages or showcases because they’re so proud of the work that they put in, and it’s really cool to be a part of that,” said Kubak.

Mitova agreed and said for herself, she loves it when the athletes show joy while they play.

However, Mitova said it’s most joyful when each athlete gets to do something they may not have been able to do before.

“A lot of our athletes have never gotten a trophy or medal, and they actually look very much forward to it, and it is by far my favorite session to see their joy,” said Mitova. “They get to showcase their skills that they have learned throughout the season and just present in front of their parents and receive their trophy.”

Aaron Cowdrey, right, enjoys making friendships with his fellow RallyPlayers and RallyPals. Photo by BGSU RallyCap Sports.

The athletes are not the only individuals that benefit from coming to RallyCap events.

“I know how important it was for parents to get an hour of a break of needing to supervise their child the entire time,” Mitova said. “So, parents get to enjoy, get to watch their son or daughter play and have fun.”

Additionally, Mitova said encouragement and positive reassurance are important for everyone involved.

“We’re all about the laughs, high fives—just anything about moving and promoting a healthy lifestyle,” said Mitova. “It’s a three-way giving service opportunity for volunteers, athletes and families.”

For parents like Jennifer, Aaron’s mother, it’s important to have a space where individuals with a disability can just be people.

“Aaron is very big about social interaction, but there isn’t always a lot of opportunity for him. Even with school, there just wasn’t a lot of opportunity for him to socialize with other kids his own age,” Jennifer said.

Thanks to the organization’s numerous opportunities, Jennifer said RallyCap is the best of both worlds for Aaron.

“He loves the coach, he calls him his ‘coach,’ but actually calls them his friends, which I think is also important for him because he doesn’t always have the same friendships like a lot of other kids, his peers, do at this age,” said Cowdrey. “A lot of sporting activities aren’t geared for kids like Aaron, so this really makes him feel included, which is very important for us.”

For other parents who are involved with RallyCap, including Jean-Philipp Sombrun, the organization allows individuals with disabilities like his daughter to simply have fun.

“They’re doing a great job, they are very dynamic [and have a lot of] variety,” Sombrun said. “A lot of young kids are here to help each other and all the kids, so it’s very important to be here to support them.”

For Sombrun and his daughter, it’s about building relationships.

“I like when they are playing all together, sometimes really following the rule of the sport or totally something different,” said Sombrun. “The best part is when they are all together, having fun, saying together, ‘We Rally,’ that kind of thing, and really enjoy being here.”

Sombrun also said he hopes the organization can change the perception people have of individuals with a disability in society.

“Our kid sometimes can be put aside in society because they are different, because they don’t understand how to react,” said Sombrun. “The movement can change…we say, ‘stuck up’ people. It will help them. It will help other people to understand their kids.”

Photo by Wood County Plays.

RallyCap also creates opportunities outside of sports for the athletes involved to connect with their community.

RallyCap Sports has partnered with Wood County Plays, an organization that helps close the gap of children with disabilities not being able to use a playground, to open the RallyCap Inclusive Playground at Carter Park in 2022 in Bowling Green.

According to Wood County Plays’ website, each of the playgrounds created by the organization are wheelchair and walker accessible, includes specialized play equipment and features fencing to protect children with sensory disorders who may elope or run away.

Additionally, the rubber surfacing utilized in each playground “is coded for children with visual impairments to highlight danger areas,” according to Wood County Plays’ website.

A group of RallyPlayers, the athletes involved with the group, and RallyPals, the student volunteers. Photo by BGSU RallyCap Sports.

Kubak, a middle childhood education major who is in her fourth year of being involved with RallyCap, leads athletes and RallyPals during each “season.”

“I was involved with coaching students, my peers, with disabilities back home in high school, and so I was very excited when I found out that there was an organization on campus where I could do the same thing,” Kubak said. “I really love how the entire organization switches between multiple different sports seasons, and how energetic and enthusiastic the environment is.”

Kubak said RallyCap has encountered its own set of challenges like any organization, but the challenges are never with the participants or their families.

“We are struggling to get volunteers, so it’s hard because I want to make sure each student has the same level of support and attention, and it’s difficult because a lot of times we do not have the support we’d like to have, ideally,” said Kubak.

In years past, volunteers like BGSU alumni and former Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers player Ryan Hunter, as well as members of BGSU’s football and cheerleading teams have also dedicated time to RallyCap.

Another challenge is volunteers getting to know each athlete on an individual level.

“Sometimes, we don’t know all the needs that they have, but this is when we actually work with parents to learn how the athlete responds, what motivates them, said Mitova. “They’re all so individual and we cater to all their needs, we want to make sure that they not only feel included, but also supported in what we do.”

Photo by BGSU RallyCap Sports.

The organization has only grown and expanded with the options the organization offers since RallyCap came to BGSU 10 years ago.

“We established a very strong foundation 10 years ago. The major difference is RallyCap is in other campuses right now,” said Mitova.

RallyCap chapters can be found at 19 colleges, including the University of Michigan, John Carroll University, Cornell University, Central Michigan University, the University of Toledo and The Ohio State University, according to RallyCap’s website.

After 10 years of dedication, RallyCap does not have any plans to slow its momentum. Leaders from the BGSU chapter are always looking for both volunteers and athletes to serve.

Mitova said if you’re a parent who is apprehensive about bringing your child with a disability to play, just give it a chance.

“Even if you sit on the sidelines for a minute or two or 10 minutes, that’s fine, just come and see what we do and decide if you want to join us or not,” Mitova said.