Jacqui Folks signed up her son Ethan for Special Olympics when he was 14 to gain independence. Now, at 24, he will represent team Kansas in the 2026 Special Olympics USA games.
Last weekend, Ethan Folks and Grayson Mack, 12, competed at the Special Olympics state Summer Games in Wichita. Both competed in four track and field events and brought home a total of six medals and two ribbons.
“I just feel like a superstar,” Ethan Folks said. “Everybody likes superstars.”
He won silver in the 200-meter walk, 100-meter walk and turbo javelin. He also placed sixth in running long jump. Mack won silver in the 100-meter dash, and bronze in the 50-meter dash and standing long jump. He also placed fifth for running long jump.
Jacqui Folks is the Special Olympics Kansas local program coordinator for Douglas County and believes it’s worth every hour they’ve put into the program. Her and her husband’s goal for the Douglas County team is to see more success stories like Ethan’s, she said.
“We wanted to get him more involved in this social aspect of life and making friends,” she said. “My husband and I took it over, and about a year in, we just became passionate about building it outside of Lawrence, include Baldwin, Eudora, and to grow the youth program and sustain it.”
Grayson Mack was the youngest athlete to compete on the Douglas County team at the summer games, since Special Olympics only has an age minimum that allows adults with disabilities to play competitively. His mom, Kari Mack, is thankful for her son having such amazing teammates despite the age difference, she said.
Grayson Mack said he liked getting to experience the games and travel to Wichita.
“I practiced my running long jump,” he said. “You get to run and get medals.”
Ethan Folks was selected by Special Olympics North America to represent team Kansas in the USA Games in Minnesota in 2026. He is one of 30 athletes selected and will compete on the swim team.
“It’s important to connect with other people, and my circle has gotten bigger,” he said. “I’ve been ready.”
To his mom, it shows the hard work he has put in as both an athlete and student.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for anything,” she said. “When you have a kid that has been limited in a classroom, has to have extra staff, and then they’re going to be on a national stage representing not just their town, but their entire state, I don’t think anyone deserves it more than him.”
As a leader for the team, she now gets to cheer on more athletes than just her son.
“The best part for me is when I’m down on the field, watching my whole team go from the stands to the edge of the rails and cheering each other on,” she said. “Those moments make the whole game work.”
Coming off the success this past weekend, Jacqui Folks hopes for more participation from Eudora on the Douglas County team. She wants parents of children with disabilities to know that Special Olympics is accessible and a valuable experience, she said.
“We want people to know it’s a place of acceptance,” she said. “I probably spend more hours doing it than my job, but our big thing is getting more youth.”
