WL father-son pair wins Special Olympics gold in China
October 17, 2007
Taken from the Journal & Courier ~ Bob Scott, Columnist
Jason Plante and his dad, Bob Plante, are all smiles this week. The West
Lafayette duo won gold medals in unified golf at the recent
Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China.
They returned home Saturday night after two weeks in
China. The golfers won their division in the alternate shot team play.
"The friends I made from China, Ireland and
South Africa will stick in my memory forever," said Jason, who turned 18 on
Tuesday. "I've already e-mailed some of them."
His father, a Purdue University professor, said the tournament was emotional for both of
them.
"It was the last time that we'll play with Special
Olympics as a team outside of Indiana," Bob Plante said. "We talked about it
on the final hole.
"My son had a great time in China. I could see him growing in front of my
eyes."
The Plante family is part of Special Olympics Tippecanoe County. Jason's mom,
Jeanie, is a unified partner with her son in bowling.
Jason is a senior at Harrison High School who copes with "pervasive
developmental disorders." A paraprofessional assists him at Harrison, where he
is an honor student. It takes Jason a little longer to learn, Bob Plante said.
The teenager recently received an acceptance letter from Purdue University.
"I've been wanting to go to Purdue since I was in the ninth grade. I can't
wait," Jason said with a smile.
He is following in the Purdue footsteps of his two brothers -- Michael is a
senior, and Eric is a sophomore.
"I attribute Jason's academic accomplishments to Special Olympics, for his
confidence," Bob Plante said. "It was the trigger."
Jason did some homework and took a physics test while in China.
"The Harrison teachers have been great. He is making up his schoolwork this
week," Bob Plante said.
The pair praised the Chinese people as "warm and friendly." A highlight for
Jason was making dumplings with a Chinese family.
"We made more than we could ever eat," Jason said. "The family there was very
friendly and considerate.
"We ate their food, had soup and chicken. Their daughter played a beautiful
string instrument."
Jason has been showing his gold medal this week at Harrison. He also has
given gifts from China to classmates and teachers.
"That's Jason," said the proud father.
The China competition completes a Special Olympics "grand slam." The Plantes
won the state title in 2005, the national title in 2006 and the world title this
year.
"Special Olympics has been an absolutely wonderful father-son experience,"
said Bob Plante.
"This was a good way to go out."
ý Contact Bob Scott at Journal & Courier, 217 N. Sixth St., Lafayette, IN, 47901; call 420-5248, fax 420-5246, or e-mail
bscott@journalandcourier.com.
Plantes win gold at Special Olympics
 |
Taken from the:
Krannert
Magazine ~ The Magazine of the
Krannert School of Management
James Brooke Henderson University Professor of
Management Bob Plante and his son, Special Olympics golfer Jason Plante,
took home gold medals in the Level 3, 18-hole unified team competition at
the 2006 Special Olympics Golf National Invitational Tournament in July.
The Plantes recorded scores of 81-79-83 over three
rounds of play for a total of 243, six strokes better than the silver-medal
team from hoststate Iowa, which shot scores of 90-80-79 over the course of
the tournament.
“We really just helped each other out because we both
weren’t having a great day, but we really worked it out together,” said
Jason Plante after the final round. “It has been a great honor to play in
Nationals and a great experience for me. I am going to take this back to my
high-school golf team and try to be the best I can be.”
The victory also earned Bob and Jason Plante an
invitation as one of two unified golfing duos to represent the United States
on TeamUSA at the 2007 Special Olympic World Summer Games, which will take
place next October in Shanghai, China.
Since the PGA of America first introduced golf to
Special Olympics in 1988, the game has become an official Special Olympics
sport with some 10,000 athletes competing in 17 countires. |
Taken from the:
Professor and son win gold at Special Olympics
By Brittany Esposito
Publication Date: 10/17/07
Assistant Campus Editor
When Robert Plante and his son Jason flew back to the
United States from China, their luggage was a little heavier � two Special
Olympics World Games gold medals added the extra weight.
Plante, a professor of management, and his son, a senior at Harrison High
School, worked together as father and son to win a gold medal in alternate
shot team golf at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China.
The experience has left Plante with jet lag after two weeks abroad, but his
exhaustion is diminished by a radiant glow of pride he can't conceal. The
professor is still carrying around the weighty gold medal in his pocket.
Plante is his son's unified partner, a person with no intellectual
disabilities who is teamed with a Special Olympics participant with
intellectual disabilities.
Jason's mother, Jeanie, is Jason's unified partner for bowling in Special
Olympic events. She said Jason, who once struggled with team sports, has
blossomed into a confident big brother figure.
"He is more outgoing with other athletes that are having problems," she
said. "He tries to help them out."
Jason has always been interested in sports. It was too difficult for him to
participate on teams at school, however, and he was limited to the sidelines
until fate interceded five years ago. When he brought home a flier about the
Special Olympics from school one day, he and his family knew they had found a
way for him to be a part of a team.
For Jason, it would take bravery and dedication to go beyond this goal and
achieve a level of greatness most people only dream of.
After winning gold medals at the state level Olympic Games in 2005 and the
national level in 2006, Jason and his father found themselves on the way to
Shanghai. This accomplishment is just one of many for a young man who has to
work twice as hard to keep up with his peers. With more drive and heart than
the average teenager, Jason has exceeded everyone's expectations.
Two years ago, Jason earned a spot on his high school golf team, an
accomplishment his family never thought possible. Three days before the father
and son duo headed to Shanghai to compete in the Games, Jason received his
letter of acceptance from Purdue. He will join his two brothers, Eric and
Michael, who are already students at the University.
The next step in his journey will be to compete in the games without a
unified partner, an obstacle his father believes Jason is ready to face.
"He's moving on to the next level," Plante said. "To see him grow and
mature and develop this confidence has been very rewarding to me."
Participating in the games as a solo competitor will no doubt be a
challenge, but Jason is a fighter who shines in tough situations.
With a son who has repeatedly proven himself a champion, Plante can hardly
be blamed for the smile of pride that stretches across his face when people
mention Jason's name. He said he is inspired by his son's enthusiasm and
ability to work through stressful situations.
When hard times come, Plante said, he cites the Special Olympics oath as a
motto he and his son adhere to.
"Let me win," he said, "but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the
attempt."
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