There are some stories you cover as a journalist.
And then there are stories that stay with you.
This is one of those.
The Area Butler Special Olympics floorball team recently returned home from York, Pennsylvania, as champions once again—winning their third consecutive gold medal at the Pennsylvania Special Olympics Indoor Winter Games.
And during Intellectual Disability Awareness Month, their story feels especially meaningful—not just for what they accomplished, but for what they represent.
“Everyone learns at their own pace,” explained Clay Goupil—a reminder of what makes this program so impactful.
But what happened on that court was about so much more than winning.
More Than a Game
Every Tuesday night, from mid-November through early March, this team gathers at McQuistion Elementary School in Butler—training for more than two hours at a time as they prepare for competition.
They run. They pass. They push through drills.
And they become a team.
What people don’t always see is the work behind it.
“We warm up, do jumping jacks, run drills… even suicides,” said Clay. “It’s hard—but it’s worth it.”
For Clay, showing up isn’t optional.
“I’m there every Tuesday,” he said. “Hockey is just in my veins.”
Head coach Renee Spohn, who has dedicated more than two decades to Special Olympics after first getting involved when her daughter became an athlete, sees it as something deeper.
“This is like my second family,” she said. “They learn how to be on a team, how to follow rules, how to win—and how to lose.”
For players like Clay, that feeling goes both ways.
“Renee is like my second mom,” said Clay.
Built on Effort and Trust
Off the court, he works alongside his family at their diner, Grand Avenue Grill in Mars—bringing that same consistency and commitment to everything he does.
“Winning the gold—it was emotional,” he said. “Because I know we worked very hard as a team.”
That word—team—comes up again and again.
“Family,” Clay said when asked what his teammates mean to him.
Captain Brian Reinhart, who led the team with scoring, was quick to deflect attention:
“I’m just the captain. We all have to do our part.”
And they did.
When asked how many saves he made, the goalie said with a grin, “Too many to count.”
To defenders holding their ground… To teammates celebrating each other’s success…
This was a complete team effort.
The road to gold wasn’t easy.
“We had some tough competition,” said Clay “I didn’t think we would be able to do it.”
The tournament includes multiple preliminary games before teams are placed into divisions, followed by medal rounds—making a path to gold anything but easy.
The championship game ended in a 7–2 victory.
But the scoreboard only tells part of the story.
What it doesn’t show is the emotion. The belief, and the joy of the athletes.
For Carla Steffy, that joy came in a moment she’ll never forget. After scoring, she looked to the stands—where her dad was watching. Moments later, he lifted her high into the air in celebration.
When asked about her favorite part of the game, Carla didn’t hesitate.
Her face lit up as she relived it. “I just played my game,” she said.
It wasn’t about the score. It was about that moment.
A Different Kind of Champion
Spend just a few minutes with this team, and something becomes clear:
They don’t just show up to compete. They show up for each other.
“We didn’t want to be overconfident,” Clay said. “But if we played as a team, we knew we had a chance.”
And when they did—they didn’t just win. They earned it.
As I left that interview, I had to pause for a moment.
Because in a world that often feels divided and rushed…
this team reminded me of something simple:
What it means to support one another.
What it means to work hard.
What it means to belong.
And I found myself quietly thanking God…
For the chance to tell their story.
The Team
The Area Butler Special Olympics floorball team includes:
Clay Goupil, Brian Reinhart (Captain), Greg Carpenter, John Carpenter, Michael Yoder, Cory Brunck, Austin Sellner, and Carla Steffy
With coaches:
Renee Spohn, Chris Miller, Victor Whann, and Robin Whann