Student manager with Down syndrome inspires football team

[Guest guest]

This was a timely story for me. I have a 16 yo daughter, a 19 yo son and

4 w/ds. Things have been particularly difficult with the 16 year

old lately. I was just thinking about how difficult it is being a

teenager.........the pressure to fit in, dating, hormones whacked out,

not really a child yet not an adult either. I don't miss it. As I

pondered the difficult time my 16 year old is having, an overwhelming

feeling of dread came over me. I thought about going through

those years that are so difficult anyway and thought how in the world

would it all work out, not to mention I will pushing retirement age and

probably be completely out of touch with current trends. I am already so

far on the other side of it that talking to a teenager feels like trying

to reason with an alien.

Anyway, this is another story of a teenager w/ds who seems to be fitting

in very well and having a blast.

Hope

Student manager with Down syndrome inspires football team

RICK SHEFCHIK

St. Pioneer Press

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. - Tyler Cropsey doesn't really have all that much to

do as manager of the sophomore football team at Eastview High School -

just pick up the tee after a kickoff, carry equipment and help coaches

count signals during drills.

Oh, and one other thing: Lift the spirits of every player on the team,

every day.

Tyler, 17, has Down syndrome. But, rather than belittle or exploit his

disability, his sophomore classmates at the Apple Valley school take

inspiration from him.

" He never has anything negative to say, " fullback Barry said.

" He's always positive. Before the games, when we're all getting pumped

up, he's always there, saying something funny to cheer us up. Or if

we're down, he cheers us up.

" You can always go to him, because he'll always say, 'Good job, nice

play out there,' even if sometimes he doesn't know what's going on. But

he's still a good spirit to have around the team. "

On a recent blustery weekday, the Eastview sophomores took the bus to

Burnsville for a 4 p.m. game. Tyler, as always, rode with the team and

walked among the players during warm-up drills, patting them and shaking

hands. When Tyler walks by with an extended hand, no one passes up the

chance to slap five.

He barked signals with one of the coaches during a blocking drill,

huddled with the team during coach Kurt Habeck's pregame speech and led

the players into their " Team! " chant by counting " one, two, three! "

He ran onto the field to retrieve the tee after the opening kickoff and

received handshakes and shouts of " Good job, Tyler, " from his friends

when he returned to the sideline.

Tyler sometimes seems oblivious to the game. At other times he seems

fiercely focused on each play, encouraging the players in a low growl.

" I have no idea what he's saying, " said a laughing Daran Han, an

Eastview running back. " I think he's just cheering the team on. It's fun

having him on the team. He boosts the spirits around here. He's a funny

guy, and he just gets people happy. "

It must be having an effect. Eastview is 7-1 with one game remaining

this season. Tyler has been with the players since they were freshmen

and has known many of them since elementary school.

His mother, Kris, said she and her husband, , chose inclusion

with the other kids for Tyler in kindergarten and have not regretted

their decision. Every time they have had concerns that Tyler's

classmates might turn a cold shoulder to him, they've been gratified to

discover the opposite.

" We called the coaches before ninth grade, " Kris said. " They were

willing to have him help out with the team. One of the coaches

introduced him to the team and asked how many of them knew Tyler Cropsey.

" He wasn't expecting a big response, but he said he almost fell over

when nearly all the kids raised their hand. How can all these kids know

Tyler? "

The bond between Tyler and his teammates has grown. Kris said she was

worried about where, and with whom, Tyler would eat lunch once he left

middle school for Eastview High School. But members of the football team

invited Tyler to eat at their table at the beginning of the year, and he

has been there ever since.

Last year, the Cropseys invited the team and some other classmates to

Tyler's birthday party, a bonfire with hot dogs.

" It's hard when he's in high school, so we had him pass out fliers, "

Kris said. " We were so nervous. A ninth-grade kid with a disability -

we'd be happy if 10 or 12 kids came. We didn't get an exact count, but

at least 60 kids showed up. We were blown away. "

The players brought gifts, including a football signed by team members.

The Cropseys plan to have another party with the team this year.

" Some of our best-skilled players are guys who welcomed him into the

team, " Habeck said. " During two-a-days (practices), Tyler sat with them

in the hallways eating lunch every day. "

When Eastview handed out jerseys this fall, Habeck gave Tyler No. 38.

" He was pretty danged excited, " Habeck said.

During the Burnsville game, Tyler interacted with the players on the

sideline, sometimes by his initiation and sometimes theirs. Players

seemed to seek him out when they needed a lift.

Running back Dijon conducted a sort of " who's on first " routine

with Tyler during the second half:

Dijon: " Who's the best team? "

Tyler: " We are. "

Dijon: " Eastview. "

Tyler: " Yeah. "

Dijon: " Say it. "

Tyler: " We are. "

Dijon: " Who? "

Tyler: " We are. "

Dijon: " Eastview. "

Tyler: " Yeah. "

Dijon: " Say 'Eastview.' "

Tyler: " Eastview. "

Dijon: " That's what I'm talking about. "

Dijon, who transferred to Eastview from Farmington, has not known Tyler

as long as his teammates, but he has developed the same care and

appreciation for him.

" Everyone told me he was a cool kid, so I got to know him, and I found

out he is a cool kid, " the player said. " I hang out with him when I can

during school and be as nice as I can to him. He's my buddy. He cheers

us on and pumps us up when we need it. "

Tyler also plays adapted soccer, but there's no question he will remain

the football team's manager through their senior year. After that Kris

isn't sure what Tyler will do. He says he wants to go to college like

his older sister Shauna, who attends Gustavus Adolphus, but Kris knows

that might not be practical. For now, she is savoring Tyler's high

school years as an experience that could have been far less rewarding.

" The compassion, the friendship, the inclusion on the part of these

teenagers, and the easy way that they open their hearts to a young man

with a disability is nothing short of amazing, " Kris said. " If I was

those kids' parents, I'd be so proud of how they treated him. They had a

chance to learn compassion and how to treat others.

" They have made all our dreams come true as parents who just want a

typical high school experience for their child. They are true heroes. "

Information from: St. Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/sports/colleges/mercer/15818183.htm

[Guest guest]

What a great story!

KathyR

From: Down Syndrome Treatment [mailto:Down Syndrome Treatment ] On Behalf Of Hope

Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006

9:30 PM

Down Syndrome Treatment

Subject:

Student manager with Down syndrome inspires football

team

This was a timely story for me. I have a 16 yo

daughter, a 19 yo son and

4 w/ds. Things have been particularly difficult with the 16 year

old lately. I was just thinking about how difficult it is being a

teenager.........the pressure to fit in, dating, hormones whacked out,

not really a child yet not an adult either. I don't miss it. As I

pondered the difficult time my 16 year old is having, an overwhelming

feeling of dread came over me. I thought about going through

those years that are so difficult anyway and thought how in the world

would it all work out, not to mention I will pushing retirement age and

probably be completely out of touch with current trends. I am already so

far on the other side of it that talking to a teenager feels like trying

to reason with an alien.

Anyway, this is another story of a teenager w/ds who seems to be fitting

in very well and having a blast.

Hope

Student manager with Down syndrome inspires football team

RICK SHEFCHIK

St.

Pioneer Press

APPLE VALLEY, Minn.

- Tyler Cropsey doesn't really have all that much to

do as manager of the sophomore football team at Eastview High School

-

just pick up the tee after a kickoff, carry equipment and help coaches

count signals during drills.

Oh, and one other thing: Lift the spirits of every player on the team,

every day.

Tyler, 17, has

Down syndrome. But, rather than belittle or exploit his

disability, his sophomore classmates at the Apple Valley school take

inspiration from him.

" He never has anything negative to say, " fullback Barry said.

" He's always positive. Before the games, when we're all getting pumped

up, he's always there, saying something funny to cheer us up. Or if

we're down, he cheers us up.

" You can always go to him, because he'll always say, 'Good job, nice

play out there,' even if sometimes he doesn't know what's going on. But

he's still a good spirit to have around the team. "

On a recent blustery weekday, the Eastview sophomores took the bus to

Burnsville for

a 4 p.m. game. Tyler,

as always, rode with the team and

walked among the players during warm-up drills, patting them and shaking

hands. When Tyler

walks by with an extended hand, no one passes up the

chance to slap five.

He barked signals with one of the coaches during a blocking drill,

huddled with the team during coach Kurt Habeck's pregame speech and led

the players into their " Team! " chant by counting " one, two,

three! "

He ran onto the field to retrieve the tee after the opening kickoff and

received handshakes and shouts of " Good job, Tyler, " from his friends

when he returned to the sideline.

Tyler sometimes

seems oblivious to the game. At other times he seems

fiercely focused on each play, encouraging the players in a low growl.

" I have no idea what he's saying, " said a laughing Daran Han, an

Eastview running back. " I think he's just cheering the team on. It's fun

having him on the team. He boosts the spirits around here. He's a funny

guy, and he just gets people happy. "

It must be having an effect. Eastview is 7-1 with one game remaining

this season. Tyler

has been with the players since they were freshmen

and has known many of them since elementary school.

His mother, Kris, said she and her husband, , chose inclusion

with the other kids for Tyler

in kindergarten and have not regretted

their decision. Every time they have had concerns that Tyler's

classmates might turn a cold shoulder to him, they've been gratified to

discover the opposite.

" We called the coaches before ninth grade, " Kris said. " They

were

willing to have him help out with the team. One of the coaches

introduced him to the team and asked how many of them knew Tyler Cropsey.

" He wasn't expecting a big response, but he said he almost fell over

when nearly all the kids raised their hand. How can all these kids know

Tyler? "

The bond between Tyler

and his teammates has grown. Kris said she was

worried about where, and with whom, Tyler would

eat lunch once he left

middle school for Eastview

High School. But members

of the football team

invited Tyler

to eat at their table at the beginning of the year, and he

has been there ever since.

Last year, the Cropseys invited the team and some other classmates to

Tyler's

birthday party, a bonfire with hot dogs.

" It's hard when he's in high school, so we had him pass out fliers, "

Kris said. " We were so nervous. A ninth-grade kid with a disability -

we'd be happy if 10 or 12 kids came. We didn't get an exact count, but

at least 60 kids showed up. We were blown away. "

The players brought gifts, including a football signed by team members.

The Cropseys plan to have another party with the team this year.

" Some of our best-skilled players are guys who welcomed him into the

team, " Habeck said. " During two-a-days (practices), Tyler sat with them

in the hallways eating lunch every day. "

When Eastview handed out jerseys this fall, Habeck gave Tyler No. 38.

" He was pretty danged excited, " Habeck said.

During the Burnsville game, Tyler interacted with the players on the

sideline, sometimes by his initiation and sometimes theirs. Players

seemed to seek him out when they needed a lift.

Running back Dijon conducted a sort of " who's on first "

routine

with Tyler

during the second half:

Dijon:

" Who's the best team? "

Tyler: " We

are. "

Dijon:

" Eastview. "

Tyler:

" Yeah. "

Dijon:

" Say it. "

Tyler: " We

are. "

Dijon:

" Who? "

Tyler: " We

are. "

Dijon:

" Eastview. "

Tyler:

" Yeah. "

Dijon:

" Say 'Eastview.' "

Tyler:

" Eastview. "

Dijon: " That's

what I'm talking about. "

Dijon, who transferred to Eastview from Farmington, has not known Tyler

as long as his teammates, but he has developed the same care and

appreciation for him.

" Everyone told me he was a cool kid, so I got to know him, and I found

out he is a cool kid, " the player said. " I hang out with him when I

can

during school and be as nice as I can to him. He's my buddy. He cheers

us on and pumps us up when we need it. "

Tyler also

plays adapted soccer, but there's no question he will remain

the football team's manager through their senior year. After that Kris

isn't sure what Tyler

will do. He says he wants to go to college like

his older sister Shauna, who attends Gustavus Adolphus, but Kris knows

that might not be practical. For now, she is savoring Tyler's high

school years as an experience that could have been far less rewarding.

" The compassion, the friendship, the inclusion on the part of these

teenagers, and the easy way that they open their hearts to a young man

with a disability is nothing short of amazing, " Kris said. " If I was

those kids' parents, I'd be so proud of how they treated him. They had a

chance to learn compassion and how to treat others.

" They have made all our dreams come true as parents who just want a

typical high school experience for their child. They are true heroes. "

Information from: St. Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/sports/colleges/mercer/15818183.htm