Tualatin High School students, Sophie Flicker and Piper Findtner, were shocked when they were told they’d be heading to Minnesota in June to compete in the 2026 Special Olympic Games.
“Sophie’s mom and I knew about it before, so we had to keep it a secret for about two months,” said Leah Findtner, Piper Findtner’s mom. “They were both shocked and so excited.”
From June 20 to June 26, nearly 15,000 athletes, coaches and volunteers from across America will travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take part in the 2026 Special Olympics Games. Flicker and Piper Findtner will be representing Team Oregon and the rest of their Tualatin-Tigard Unified Program as Youth Leaders.
“I am feeling so excited and honored for being selected to represent Team Oregon in the youth leadership role this year,” Piper Findtner told Tualatin Life in an email. “This is an amazing opportunity, and I’m beyond grateful to be able to travel to Minnesota with Sophie and attend the Special Olympics with her and Ms. Grimm.”
Tualatin High School Learning Specialist Brandi Gramm will be heading to the Twin Cities with the girls and said that they were selected by their Tualatin High School teacher, Jenn Mills, because of their friendship.
“Sophie and Piper have also been friends for a long time, and they make a great team,” Grimm said. “They are the perfect fit for representing Team Oregon at the USA Games this summer.”
The Special Olympic Games, which started in Chicago in 1968, began as an opportunity for athletes with intellectual disabilities to compete in a smattering of Olympic sports and exercises. The games quickly became a national competition, occurring every four years and featuring thousands of athletes from around the country.
Piper Findtner and Flicker will be attending this year’s Olympic Games and taking part in the Youth Leadership Experience, which will entail socializing with athletes, working with event media and networking with other youth leaders.
“I am most excited to meet other people, especially the other youth leadership partners,” Piper Findtner said. “We get to be with our peers and the other youth leadership partners the majority of the time. I am excited to get close with them and learn from them. I am also very excited to watch Team Oregon compete in each sport and win!”
Flicker similarly said she was “feeling happy and excited” about attending the games and watching Oregon’s Special Olympics Team.
Piper Findtner and Flicker are teammates in Tualatin High School’s Unified Program, which is a Special Olympics offshoot that brings students of all abilities together to compete in sports like basketball, kickball and track.
“This is a significant moment for our Unified Program and for the girls because this only happens every four years,” said Grimm. “Similarly to the Olympics, this is an honor to be picked to represent the state of Oregon on a national stage. It is also significant because this will raise awareness around Unified and Special Olympics.”
Leah Findtner said that the Unified Program and the Special Olympics both emphasized inclusion, explaining that they gave kids an important chance to contribute.
“I think the Special Olympics and Unified just encourage an inclusive community and environment,” Leah Findtner said. “Kids can participate regardless of abilities, and it’s more about involvement and feeling included and feeling important and feeling like you can contribute, for all of the kids.”
Piper Findtner and Flicker said that they had been prepping for the games since February and were excited to represent Oregon and share their experience with the other members of Tualatin Unified after the games.
Piper Findtner said she had met some of her best friends through the Unified Program and attributed her Unified experiences to shaping her future aspirations.
“Because of Unified, I want to become an Occupational Therapist and help kids just like Ms. Jenn and Ms.Grimm, who are so amazing and talented and the ones who make Unified happen,” Piper Findtner said. “I have met some of my best friends through Tualatin Unified, and I value those friendships greatly.”
Donations to the Tigard-Tualatin Unified Program can be made at tinyurl.com/yh52k3hj and more information about the 2026 Special Olympics is available at tinyurl.com/4t72jjj9.
