Special Pickleball Victories

Despite never having picked up a paddle, Donna Morgan figured the first year Special Olympic pickleball program at Patch Reef Park could be perfect for her and her son John, who is on the Autism spectrum.

“I'm brand new,” Donna said. “He's brand new. I've been wanting to learn. And, you know, this gives me the opportunity to work with wonderful, beautiful people.”

Every Wednesday for the past couple months Donna and John joined a dozen adults with special needs at the Patch Reef Park Tennis Center. First item on their to-do list: learn the sport.

Turns out, they are quick learners.

Playing in the Unified Division, which pairs a special needs player with a player lacking special needs, the Morgans won their division in the Palm Beach County tournament. The following weekend at Nova Southeastern they overcame an 8-1 deficit in Game 1 of the opening round of the four-county Regional tournament to win 10-8, then took the second game to win the match.

Now the Morgans are headed to the Nov. 8 Special Olympics State Tournament in Orlando. A win there could propel them to the 2026 National tournament, and potentially the World Tournament. 

“As a mom, it's the best feeling ever,” Donna said of the Special Olympics pickleball program. “I mean, we connect, and we need to connect on every level. But, you know, he loves sports. He plays his sports. I'm lucky and blessed that I can do sports and I enjoy it with him.”

Pickleball is traditionally a doubles sport. Special Olympics tournaments also feature a singles division, and Patch Reef is sending a player to the state tournament in that division, too.

Robert Vittiglio is heading to Orlando after winning the singles gold medal at Regionals via a tiebreaker.

“I was shocked,” said Vittiglio about learning he'd won the gold medal.

Among the world's fastest growing sports, pickleball is a newcomer to the Special Olympics. The 2027 world competition will be only the second featuring the sport.

Already a certified Special Olympics coach for basketball, Patch Reef team coach Maryellen Jones received her pickleball certification only weeks ago. Jones daughter, Faith, plays as part of the program.

Most in the group are living with Autism, Down syndrome or are intellectually disabled. Though some Patch Reef Special Olympians had played tennis prior to joining the team, none played pickleball prior to a few weeks ago.

“I'm not teaching them rules right now, except where they have to stand when they serve, and that they can't go in the kitchen - those kind of things,” Jones said prior to the county match. “If they know the basics, just those few basics, and they could just get moving and volley and stuff like that, we're good.”

The Patch Reef Special Olympics team will continue to practice at the Tennis Center every Wednesday into November, usually on two courts near the tennis wall. 

On a mid-October Wednesday, knowing team photos were being taken, John Morgan wore his gold medal for the photo. He kept it around his neck afterward while dinking and serving in practice.

“There's a fallacy that people with disabilities don't care about the score - that it's just the fun of playing,” Jones said. “I can tell you for a fact that they like to get their ribbons - their blue ribbons - and they like to get their gold medals. A lot of times (people) will say, 'Oh, well, you don't need to keep score, because they don't care.' No, they care. They really care.”