By Ryan Hawthorne, staff writer
The Lair Family was announced as the Special Olympics Family of the year on September 12, during the 25th anniversary Inspiration Walk for the Howard County Special Olympics. Nominated for their outstanding commitment to the Special Olympics Tennis team during high school and beyond, Sebastian and Adele Lair have consistently volunteered as coaches since 2021. Andre, a junior at River Hill, joined them in 2022.
Special Olympics is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization that seeks to uplift and encourage athletic participation for athletes with intellectual disabilities. All around the world, Special Olympics athletes train and compete in competitions. Their mission is to “provide year-round sports training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities… to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.”
The Lair family has helped train Special Olympics athletes for years. Ms. Barbara Evans, tennis coordinator, recalls that the pandemic had resulted in a shortage of volunteers; the Lairs stepped up right when the Special Olympics team needed it most. Sebastian and Adele Lair started volunteering in 2021 while students at River Hill. Their brother Andre began volunteering in 2022 as a sixth grader.
Howard County Special Olympics was founded in 2001, and Ms. Evans has acted as tennis coordinator for over 15 years. In her letter of nomination for the Lair Family, she wrote, “It’s unusual for multiple members of a family to volunteer year after year for a Special Olympics sport without having a relative who is an athlete… but that is the case for the Lair siblings, who despite having no athlete in the program, have consistently supported the Special Olympics Howard County Competition tennis teams since 2021.”
For the last three years, Sebastian Lair has been a unified doubles partner for Jesse. This means that Sebastian gets to play with Jesse on the court. “Jesse is very friendly, kind, and talkative. It has been really nice seeing him improve each year.”
Ms. Evans recounts, “In 2023, Jesse could barely serve; by 2025, due to Sebastien’s consistent guidance, Jesse and Sebastien brought home the silver medal in Special Olympic Maryland’s unified doubles! Jesse was ecstatic!”
Andre, now a junior at River Hill, mentions that his favorite memories “have been from the state tournament each year. All of the athletes are so happy to be there competing and cheering on their teammates. It is so nice to see them try to cheer up their teammates.” Even when they don’t win, they “tell them that it’s alright when their teammates lose a match.”
Adele says that her time volunteering has taught her a lot about herself. Through Special Olympics, she has learned “to be a better coach, understand my athletes’ emotions, and how hard work truly does pay off… What started off as what seemed to be an act of community service and kindness turned into something completely different for me. I look forward to coaching these athletes… [and] appreciate what they’ve taught me about hard work and commitment.”
Sebastian recounts, “My time with the Special Olympics has taught me that the athletes are like everyone else… Not only do I get to play a sport that I love, but I get to help a wonderful community of people who are often overlooked in sports learn and compete… they really are capable of so much and they are all such friendly and kind people.”
Sebastian enjoyed volunteering so much that after graduating from River Hill, he “drove back from University of Maryland every Tuesday in the fall each year of college to volunteer.”
The volunteers work mostly in one-on-one training with their athlete. Practice begins with group warm-ups. “At each weekly practice, the Lair siblings lead the warmups and enlist a Special Olympics athlete to partner with them as co-lead.”
During practice, “Each of the Lairs balance the requirement for skill development with the language needs of the individual they are supporting. For non-verbal athletes, they patiently demonstrate the skills and encourage the player throughout the practice. For verbal athletes, they combine both oral instructions and demonstrations to reinforce the individual’s skill improvement.”
The Lair’s dedication to the program, tennis skills, and coaching expertise “empower the Special Olympics participants as athlete leaders.”
At their practice at Wilde Lake Tennis Center on October 6, the Special Olympics tennis team recognized the Lairs as Family of the Year. Ms. Kelley Pfefferkorn, coach for the River Hill Tennis team, spoke on Andre, Adele, and Sebastian’s contributions to the team.
When the Special Olympics were founded in 1968, the hope was that competition, exercise, and teamwork would help people with mental disabilities to realize their potential. Across the world, this has been the case. It empowers people by focusing on what they can do rather than what they can’t. The organization supports more than 5 million athletes in 32 Olympic Sports all across the globe.
The managing staff on the Howard County Special Olympics tennis team agree on the impact the Lairs have had on the Special Olympics Tennis team. They have consistently shown up to help their athletes become the best versions of themselves, year after year. “As a family, they represent the best of our volunteers and of Howard County.”