Will Ollendick is a sports guy.
“We discovered at a very young age that Will is a sports junkie,” says Tracy Ollendick (Will’s mother). “If he feels a connection to it, it takes it to a whole different level.”
His primary connection to sports is Dallas Center-Grimes.
“It just makes your life very full,” says Tracy. “It makes you happy, just being part of something.”
Diagnosed with a rare disorder at the age of one, Will works hard to be a DCG Mustang. He’s fought through seizures, surgeries and hospital stays, just to get to where he is today.
“I believe the quality of life for someone like Will can strongly depend on his support system,” adds Tracy. “Thats’ parents, family and community. He’s thriving with the help of the community for sure.”
That community support was on display Tuesday at Wells Fargo Arena. Will was the Sportsmanship Award Recipient at the state tournament and was honored on the court, just before the DCG girls played in the state quarterfinals.
“He supports DCG more than anybody I know,” says DCG Girls Basketball Coach Adam Jones. “I get a text message from him on game days. After games, win or lose, it doesn’t matter. He’s very deserving.”
“It’s very special, we don’t take that lightly,” says Tracy. “We feel very loved.”
Will’s been filling out the state tournament brackets for the last couple of days. That way he knows exactly where he needs to be, so he can cheer on his favorite team.
“The happiness he has for this sort of thing fills him up for months,” says Tracy.
The basketball team currently tops Will’s list of favorites, but that changes depending on the season. If you are playing for team DCG, Will has your back.
“I feel like DCG means community,” shares Tracy. “We feel a part of something bigger than just a family of three.”
You can’t really put a number on the DCG family. We are bigger than that. We are Mustangs and together we are better, with Will leading the way.
“It takes away the different barriers, the different abilities between everybody, because we are all cheering for the same team,” says Tracy. “We are all wanting that team to win. It’s just feeling a part of that, and that makes us all happy.”