DeKalb County sending 13 to USA Games

While attending a dinner during the 2025 Special Olympics Indiana Summer Games in Terre Haute, members of the DeKalb County soccer team received some exciting news.

Coach Rob Allen, three athletes and six Unified partners were selected to be part of the soccer team that will represent Indiana at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.

Three athletes and one coach from other county programs complete the roster that will travel to Minneapolis in June.

“It was extremely emotional, because my son, Brady, is an athlete on the soccer team, and my other son, Nick, is a partner on the soccer team,” Allen said. “Nick and his friends have been active in our Special Olympics family for years, and they are loved by our athletes. Also, when Nick and Brady were little, they played soccer together, and I was the coach. Twenty-plus years later, here we are again.”

DeKalb County athletes joining Brady Allen on the team are Ryan Bourgeois and Clay Skwier. The Unified partners alongside Nick Allen are William Lengacher, Ryleigh Marquardt, Collin Schlatter, Paxton Simerman and Josh Whitney.

DeKalb County has three others who will experience USA Games in a unique way.

Carol Fike is the mentor for athlete Kaylin Galligher and Unified partner Adia Eggering for the Youth Leadership Experience. The trio is part of DeKalb High School’s Unified Sports program.

In all, DeKalb County is sending 13 people to USA Games.

Allen and Fike coached Indiana’s basketball team that won gold at the 2018 USA Games in Seattle.

“To represent our county again is an honor,” Rob Allen said. “They treated us so well eight years ago, and beyond that, we are supported all of the time. DeKalb Special Olympics athletes are embraced in our community, and that makes everyone’s life a little better.”

Fike said they are still learning about everything that will be included in the Youth Leadership Experience, but they are excited to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the USA Games.

“I had an amazing time in 2018 with Team Indiana basketball,” she said. “I was just excited to share this opportunity with Adia and Kaylin. I’m excited for the girls to get to travel, meet new people and experience everything that is included in a USA Games.”

For the soccer team, one advantage is the DeKalb County athletes and Unified players have played together for several years.

“Nick has been bringing his friends to play basketball, football and soccer with us for years, and we were not Unified teams,” Rob Allen said. “They just came to play and have fun, and our athletes ate it up. Our athletes are like anybody else in that they just want a chance to play and have fun. To have other young people give up their time to play with us speaks volumes about who they are.”

Allen said they have fun and joke with the athletes like any other family. 

“When the opportunity came along for them to join us as Unified partners, it was an awesome fit,” he said. “I think the unity and respect among our athletes and partners will help us on the field and off. The relationship among this team goes beyond sports.”

Brady Allen has participated in Special Olympics for 17 years, including basketball, flag football, swimming, track and field, bowling and soccer.

He was team captain of the gold-medal basketball team in 2018.

“It is an honor to represent our county and the state,” Brady Allen said, noting the bond between the athletes and Unified partners is “like a big family.”

Nick Allen has been involved with Special Olympics for about 15 years. He has coached soccer and basketball and also been involved with track and field, bowling and flag football.

“It is a great way to bring our community together and provide new opportunities for people who may otherwise not get those opportunities,” he said. “As much as I enjoy coaching and teaching the athletes, I feel as though they are able to teach me a lot about life in return.”

In 2018, he experienced USA Games as a fan. Now, he gets to join his brother and father in competing.

“I am excited to represent DeKalb County as I grew up here playing soccer for the middle school and high school teams,” Nick Allen said. “There is a great sense of pride in playing for this county, and I am excited to have that feeling again. Playing for Team Indiana is equally as exciting, especially since it is the first time a soccer team will be attending the USA Games.”

He said everyone on the team wants to see each other succeed.

“(That) has allowed us to push each other to improve each day while also celebrating all of the positive moments and have fun along the way,” Nick Allen said. “I am excited to see our team continue to grow as not only teammates but as a family. … I have played soccer in Las Vegas, Disney World and even Barcelona, so I understand the feeling of playing on a big stage. I am excited for many others, not just from Indiana but from all over the country, to have that feeling.”

Bourgeois has been part of the DeKalb County program for 15 years, participating in soccer, basketball, track and field, swimming, flag football and bowling.

He was the center for the basketball team at the 2018 USA Games.

“The last game ending 31-30 was the most intense thing I have been a part of,” Bourgeois said.

He said the soccer team has “unbelievable chemistry together.”

“I believe that there is no ‘I’ in team, but when we all work together, it’s like a family doing their best 100 percent,” Bourgeois said. “Representing not only DeKalb County but Indiana as a whole means the world to me. This means I can show not only my sportsmanship but also my skills on the amazing team I’m on. I really can’t wait to look all around and take all of the Minnesota memories with me there and back to Indiana, my home.”

Skwier has been part of Special Olympics for 12 years, participating in basketball, track and field, soccer and bowling.

Learning DeKalb County was going to be represented on Team Indiana was a special moment for him.

“I was very surprised and speechless of being nominated,” Skwier said. “When I went to my room, I got on my phone and let my family know that I was nominated. They couldn’t be happier for what I accomplished. My family said they will be rooting for me and praying for me. I feel very blessed being on Team Indiana.”

He said the soccer team’s strengths are speed, communication, height and eye coordination.

“I believe we have a chance at winning gold,” Skwier said. “My teammates never fight or argue with each other, and we always try to help each other if one of us makes a mistake. We also act like one big family.”

Simerman has helped DeKalb County’s soccer team since 2022. She said being part of the team has taught her valuable lessons.

“I have learned to have better patience and have learned how to improve my leadership skills,” she said. “I have a passion for the game and love that I get to share my knowledge of the game with others. I have learned that although we come from different backgrounds and life, we can all come together and push each other to be better athletes.”

She said it has allowed her to take a step back and enjoy the game in a new light.

“I work with kids who have disabilities, and being part of Special Olympics just continues to increase my knowledge and skills to provide the best version of myself for my students,” Simerman said.

She’s excited and honored to be part of Team Indiana’s soccer team.

“The Unified partners have been helping the DeKalb athletes and playing alongside them for years,” Simerman said. “The Unified partners have also played together at higher levels for years and have all known each other since a young age. Nick Allen and some of the others have all grown up playing together. This means we know how each other plays and operates. We are already a well-oiled machine and are working on perfecting the game. We already have a system where we trust and support each other well.”

She’s ready to experience her first USA Games and create connections.

“I am working on making Unified Sports possible at the school I work at, and having connections and opportunities will allow me to provide opportunities for my students,” Simerman said. “I want the kids I work with to see the things they can do outside of school and educate parents on the possibilities that are out there.”

During his 17 years in Special Olympics, Rob Allen has coached track and field, basketball, flag football and soccer.

“It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “Of course, the joy of sports is exciting and fun, but the most fulfilling part of Special Olympics is seeing the sense of community and seeing our athletes grow in ways beyond sports.”

He said they find their voice and have a place where they are accepted for who they are, and what they bring to the community is appreciated.

“My absolute favorite thing is watching athletes overcome challenges and disappointment when a game doesn’t go their way,” Rob Allen said. “We emphasize the joy of competing and accepting things you can’t change. Even when you lose, be happy you got to play and realize that it’s OK. Your friends and family love you no matter what. When we leave a sporting event with a loss and everybody is still smiling and laughing, that means we grew as people, and that’s a lesson that serves everyone each and every day.”

Looking back at his first USA Games, Allen said it was an incredible journey, and the community really embraced the athletes, including a large send-off as they left and a reception when they returned.

Now, the community can rally around them again.

“When we came back from Seattle, we set a goal to be the first team from Indiana to play soccer at the USA Games, and we started playing as a team even when it wasn’t an official Indiana sport,” Rob Allen said. “Once again, our athletes and partners put in the work, and here we are.”

He hopes everyone participating with Team Indiana embraces the entire process, including the training and team camps.

“It all goes so fast, and it will be a memory someday, so embrace every moment that you are a part of Team Indiana,” Rob Allen said. “It’s special, and it’s life-changing.”