HELENA — Special Olympics is about a lot more than just the action on the field. It’s about connection, inclusion and building lifelong friendships.
You’d be hard pressed to find a better example of that than the Helena Halos, Special Olympics Montana’s 2026 Local Program of the Year.
“Just how we’re all good friends,” athlete Gracie Gribbons said on what makes the Halos remarkable. “And we’ve been together for so long that I can’t imagine my life without them. And they’re just fun to be with.”
The Halos feature Special Olympics athletes competing alongside student-athletes from nearby Carroll College, such as Carroll football kicker Spencer Berger.
“We greet each other with a smile, and I think it’s the biggest thing,” Berger said. “You can come out here having a bad day, and you see the smiles on these athletes’ faces and it just instantly cheers you up. And I think what I’ve learned the most is that a smile has such an impact on everyone’s life. And to be able to spread a little bit of happiness each day is a great thing to do.”
And while the Halos certainly hope to bring home some hardware from the State Summer Games in a couple weeks, they’re already winners when it comes to building relationships and just having fun.
“The immense levels of joy that comes with this,” Halos coach Scott Held said. “I think it’s one of the highlights of my week because you get an opportunity to be out here, having fun, laughing, just having a great time with it. There’s so much fellowship that comes along with this. There’s competitiveness, of course. But also the fellowship that comes along with it is just amazing.”
And that fellowship is what keeps the athletes coming back, too.
“We just talk and hang out outside of everything,” Gribbons said. “We just, I don’t know, we just create that bond. It’s not just on the field, it’s off the field and everything like that. So, you just create that bond with them.”
