ATHLETE OF THE MONTH: MEET NOLAN SPRIFKE

What is your Age, Grade and School? I am 15 years old. I am in 10th grade. I go to Northville High School.

What would you like the special needs community to know about you? What have been some challenges you have experienced and how have you overcome these challenges? I have high functioning autism but have attended general education classes throughout my schooling. I’ve always been interested in watching and playing sports. Baseball and basketball are my favorite sports. I’m also very interested in the science of meteorology. I collect weather radios and record tornado sirens. I have a YouTube channel related to the weather as well.

Schoolwork has sometimes been a big challenge for me. I struggle to pay attention for long periods and taking notes is pretty tough. Thankfully I’ve had a paraprofessional (para-pro) since first grade to help overcome these issues. I’ve also had help with homework with my ABA therapists. I feel like I’m getting through school a lot better in the last couple of years.

What advice do you have for others in the special needs community? Just know that there are people out there to help you. You just need to find good people you can trust. Keep following your dreams!

What sports or extracurricular activities do you participate in? I play soccer and basketball for my high school in the Unified sports program. I’ve also been bowling for about a year now with the Autastic Athletes group over in Commerce. My bowling has majorly improved over the course of this activity.

Tell us more about your experience with those activities (how did you get started? What do you enjoy most? Any highlights of your experience so far? I got started with Unified Sports during my freshman year of high school. A few teachers at the high school told me about the Unified program. I wasn’t sure about it at first but after deciding to do it and playing my first game I had a blast from then on. I heard about the Autastic Athletes through our community schools bulletin. My bowling experience was very limited before starting with them. I’ve made a great new friend at my bowling group which makes me happy. I was very social during Unified sports and made lots of friends. I felt like I belonged and didn’t feel left out as I did sometimes before these programs.

A couple of highlights so far included scoring the game-winning goal in the Unified soccer championship and I scored around 10 points including two baskets at the very end to beat our rival high school. In bowling, I’ve progressed to not using the gutter rails. I’ve also gone from using two hands to using one hand with the finger holes. I look forward to continuing with both of these groups!

Name someone you admire. What makes them special and how have they motivated you? Someone I admire is the Unified sports head coach at my high school. She is the first one that really introduced me to competing in sports. Her approach helps to keep me calm and focused because sometimes I have a hard time controlling my emotions during sports.

When I grow up, I want to be... OR After high school, my plans are... When I grow up, I want to go into a career in tornado siren maintenance.

Favorite Food Takis

Favorite Color Blue

Favorite Music Top 40, Pop

Favorite Movie or TV Show Buzz Light Year, sports on TV especially baseball

Favorite Sports Teams Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers

Favorite Subject in School Social Studies

Favorite Vacation Disney World