In a time of lots of negativity surrounding the team (yes, I'm guilty at times), the friendship of Matt Garin and Tyler Cropsey will make you feel good to support the Gophers.
http://kstp.com/sports/ -- The video story should be the first one on our sports page... title = True MVP of Gophers' spring game
Below is a portion of an email that Tyler's mom sent me... I don't think that she will mind that I am sharing it.
I want to say that Matt comes from a phenomenal family with great parents (Jodie and Dave). He has an older brother at St. Olaf College who is just as talented in music and theater as Matt is in athletics, which I think is a great testament to the family encouraging their kids to follow their unique dreams and interests. His older brother Jake has been just as wonderful to Tyler as Matt has, so those parents are doing something right in raising their kids! Tyler is also very attached to Dave Garin, the dad, who has always reached out to Tyler.
Tyler has known Matt since middle school and Matt has always reached out to him. Tyler considers him to be one of his closest friends. This represents a parent's dream-come-true, as when you have a child with a disability, you always worry that they won't experience true friendship and you worry about peers being cruel, especially during the middle and high school years. But when you have a friend and advocate like Matt Garin (excellent student, amazing athlete, genuinely nice person and handsome and popular to boot), other kids follow his lead. It is an insecure time for kids, but when they see that one of the most popular kids in the school thinks Tyler is worth befriending, then they are all confident in following suit. It really meant the world to Tyler's experience going through school, but of course all he knows and cares about is that Matt is his friend. In a way, Tyler models that same acceptance, because he doesn't care about how popular someone is or how beautiful or smart-if you are nice to Tyler you are his friend for life! He has befriended students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, but having someone like Matt lead the way made all the difference in his being accepted by the mainstream.
Tyler has missed Matt since they graduated and talks about him a lot. When Matt called out of the blue last week to see how Tyler was and to invite him to a practice and perhaps to the spring game, Tyler was beaming when he heard his voice on the recorder. He loves football and being on the sidelines as "manager" or "helper", but the real plus was to get to see Matt and to hang out with him. I think it is absolutely nothing short of amazing that a busy freshman in college, juggling his first year of college and playing Division I football would somehow think of his friend from high school with Down Syndrome and would reach out to him in such a way. And let me tell you, in case there is any doubt, that Matt would never do it for attention or accolades. Matt is so humble and other-centered, that he wouldn't even like, let alone invite, such attention to himself. In calling Tyler, you can be sure that his only intention was genuine caring, compassion and friendship. Matt is a leader because of who he is, not because he attempts to lead. People naturally follow his example because he leads an exemplary life, but he does not ever try to attract attention to himself or do things to make himself look good. He is a quiet, thoughtful individual and leads by example. He is probably distressed with this attention being drawn to him when all he wanted was to invite Tyler to be on the sidelines. He is the kindest, most genuine person I know!
http://kstp.com/sports/ -- The video story should be the first one on our sports page... title = True MVP of Gophers' spring game
Below is a portion of an email that Tyler's mom sent me... I don't think that she will mind that I am sharing it.
I want to say that Matt comes from a phenomenal family with great parents (Jodie and Dave). He has an older brother at St. Olaf College who is just as talented in music and theater as Matt is in athletics, which I think is a great testament to the family encouraging their kids to follow their unique dreams and interests. His older brother Jake has been just as wonderful to Tyler as Matt has, so those parents are doing something right in raising their kids! Tyler is also very attached to Dave Garin, the dad, who has always reached out to Tyler.
Tyler has known Matt since middle school and Matt has always reached out to him. Tyler considers him to be one of his closest friends. This represents a parent's dream-come-true, as when you have a child with a disability, you always worry that they won't experience true friendship and you worry about peers being cruel, especially during the middle and high school years. But when you have a friend and advocate like Matt Garin (excellent student, amazing athlete, genuinely nice person and handsome and popular to boot), other kids follow his lead. It is an insecure time for kids, but when they see that one of the most popular kids in the school thinks Tyler is worth befriending, then they are all confident in following suit. It really meant the world to Tyler's experience going through school, but of course all he knows and cares about is that Matt is his friend. In a way, Tyler models that same acceptance, because he doesn't care about how popular someone is or how beautiful or smart-if you are nice to Tyler you are his friend for life! He has befriended students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, but having someone like Matt lead the way made all the difference in his being accepted by the mainstream.
Tyler has missed Matt since they graduated and talks about him a lot. When Matt called out of the blue last week to see how Tyler was and to invite him to a practice and perhaps to the spring game, Tyler was beaming when he heard his voice on the recorder. He loves football and being on the sidelines as "manager" or "helper", but the real plus was to get to see Matt and to hang out with him. I think it is absolutely nothing short of amazing that a busy freshman in college, juggling his first year of college and playing Division I football would somehow think of his friend from high school with Down Syndrome and would reach out to him in such a way. And let me tell you, in case there is any doubt, that Matt would never do it for attention or accolades. Matt is so humble and other-centered, that he wouldn't even like, let alone invite, such attention to himself. In calling Tyler, you can be sure that his only intention was genuine caring, compassion and friendship. Matt is a leader because of who he is, not because he attempts to lead. People naturally follow his example because he leads an exemplary life, but he does not ever try to attract attention to himself or do things to make himself look good. He is a quiet, thoughtful individual and leads by example. He is probably distressed with this attention being drawn to him when all he wanted was to invite Tyler to be on the sidelines. He is the kindest, most genuine person I know!
