News & Media

Introducing John Niski, the new Director of the Special Olympics Unified Sports® programs in Connecticut! John has been involved with Unified Sports for many years, starting as the Athletic Director at Shelton High School for 17 years. He was offered a position of CIAC Unified Sports Assistant Director after retiring from a 36-year teaching career, serving in that role for four years. He is excited to begin as the CIAC Unified Sports Director this fall! 

“The most rewarding part of being involved in Unified Sports/Special Olympics is seeing the joy and excitement of the athletes on the competition field and experiencing the genuine care and feeling that the partners and coaches feel through their involvement,” said John. He describes everyone involved in Special Olympics at every level as incredible to work with and be around. He says the coaches, administrators, teachers, partners, athletes, and their families are joyful for their opportunity to participate in athletics and experience the friendship and camaraderie that comes from being a part of a team! 

John’s favorite sport to coach was volleyball because of the excitement of the sport as well as the learning curve for participants. Athletes typically don’t start playing volleyball until they are older, so the amount of learning that takes place is very fast. “Players progress so much in such a short period of time that the improvements are so much fun to watch and coach,” says John. He also loves being involved with Unified Cornhole, another popular activity.  

John’s involvement in Special Olympics has mostly been limited to the school-based Unified Sports experience and also through participating in some of the fundraising activities. However, he has participated in the Torch Run for many years. He has also participated in the Penguin Plunge and Over the Edge, saying that everyone should try these exhilarating experiences at least once! He feels grateful for the friends and colleagues who have supported him by donating to such an incredible cause.  

“Every day there is another interesting story in Unified Sports! The athletes and partners are coming up with new ways to share their fun and excitement,” says John. Some of his favorite memories come from the CIAC State Basketball Championships at Mohegan Sun, where the Unified Sports teams participate in exhibition games during halftime. This past year, Special Olympics hosted a Unified Sports Level 1 championship game at the Sun that came down to a three point buzzer beater shot by Oxford at the end! Another experience he enjoys comes each year at the Bloomfield High School Unified Track & Field event where the BHS track team always sets up a cheering section at the long jump where they cheer on the participants. Lastly, John says that the excitement at the Beau Doherty Unified Cornhole tournament comes down to a thrilling ending with teams cheering on their players in the finals! 

John is truly honored and excited to begin this new role! He has learned so much from Bob Hale, the former Director, and hopes to continue his legacy of putting others first. He is also grateful for other former directors George Synott, Lou Pair, Anne Malafronte, Karen Pactor, and Beau Doherty, who have all laid groundwork in making this program the best in the Nation! “I am excited to work closely with the incredible staff here at CIAC along with Mike Mason and the SOCT staff as we continue to provide the very best experience possible for our athletes, partners, and coaches going forward,” states John.  

Looking forward, John hopes to work to keep the quality of our programs in place and grow some additional programs in the middle and elementary schools, along with helping to increase our presence in the underserved communities across the state. He is also excited to offer some higher level competition opportunities for the athletes and partners in basketball, cornhole, and track events. Lastly, he would love to see Connecticut formally recognized as the Unified Sports Capital of the World! 

We look forward to seeing all that John will contribute to Special Olympics as he takes on this new role!