As a bus full of Special Olympics Illinois athletes pulled into the Twin Cities area in Minnesota, cheers erupted.
The athletes were not only thrilled that they were arriving in late June to their destination for the 2026 Special Olympics USA games, but the merry outburst was also for a billboard they saw welcoming the Special Olympians.
Elmhurst’s Katie O’Neill, a gymnast, was on that bus.
Oh, and her image was on the sign, as well.
“It was so cool,” she said. “The whole bus cheered.”
United Healthcare helped sponsor the Special Olympics event and throughout June the 26-year-old O’Neill and a handful of other athletes from all over the country had their likenesses on billboards, posters at train stops plus video and TV spots aired in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Katie’s mother, Cathy, remembers her own reaction after seeing the larger-than-life image of her daughter smiling for the Special Olympics world to see.
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“I’m still crying,” Cathy said weeks after returning home. “I kept getting texts and call from people saying ‘here’s another one.’’’
The reaction from her peers on the bus was a special moment for Katie, and just being able to compete in the biggest event of her life was good enough for her.
“I didn’t care what place I got, I was just happy to be there,” Katie said. “It was such a huge deal and an honor I worked eight years to get myself there.
“Within those eight years I have grown and gained confidence. I made new friends. It’s been life changing.”
O’Neill made the most of her experience in the competition as she won three Gold Medals and added a pair of fourth-place finishes in Level 4 competition.
Legendary area gymnastics coach Glen Marks said Level 4 is the highest level of competition and was proud that O’Neill could win the Gold in the Senior All-Around, Senior Floor Exercise and Senior Uneven Bars events while placing fourth in the Senior Balance Beam and Senior Vault events.
“She’s just a great kid and practices a lot,” Marks said. “Her skill level is very high. She just puts her whole heart into it. She was very prepared.”
Also from the area, Hinsdale’s Matthew Friedman won a pair of Bronze Medals for track – one in the 400 meters run and one for being a part of a 1600-meter relay team.
More fellow suburban athletes did well too. Evanston’s Courtney Krueger won a gold and three silver medals in powerlifting. Geneva’s Amanda Propheter won a silver in swimming, Libertyville’s Melanie Harwood won a gold and bronze in swimming, Schaumburg’s Mary Roman won a gold and two silvers in gymnastics and Vernon Hills’ Alexis Winegard won two silvers and two bronzes in gymnastics.
O’Neill said that she has ADHD and other learning disabilities, and growing up was not easy.
“I struggled in school and struggled making friends,” she said.
After O’Neill graduated from York High School, Dukes boys gymnastics coach Nick Criel suggested that she volunteer as a coach for a Special Olympics team.
It wasn’t long after that when the coaches discovered she was good enough to be a Special Olympics athlete herself, and her dream from 2008 was reborn.
“Ever since my mom put the 2008 Olympics on and I saw Shawn Johnson and Nastia Luikin competing in their routines, I told my mom that one day I’m going to be in the Olympics just like them,” O’Neill said.
“I didn’t think it would be in the Special Olympics, but it’s still so cool.”
Little did O’Neill know that she would be performing in front of, and receiving a medal from, Olympic champion Suni Lee. O’Neill also met “Love on the Spectrum” cast member Tanner Smith during the trip.
Away from the gym, O’Neill has two jobs – one as a paraprofessional at Edison Elementary School and a part-time job taking tickets and showing patrons where their seats are at Wrigley Field for Cubs games. She picked up that second job via meeting Cubs President Jed Hoyer through Special Olympics. She also met Cubs legend Sammy Sosa.
When the 2030 games roll around, O’Neill will not be doing any gymnastics but is looking for a new sport and a new challenge.
“I already swim and play golf,” she said. “I’m going to try flag football, basketball and softball.
“Maybe I’ll be back for a different sport. I would be happy to do it again.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.