How a father’s fight for fairness led Leeds Stars to an emotional Special Olympics win

He knew he had to do something to create a supportive atmosphere for children and adults with additional needs.

And that’s where Leeds Stars was first born almost a decade ago.

Now they are celebrating after their squad raced to an emotional victory at a Special Olympics swimming gala.

Leeds Stars won 11 gold medals, seven silver, and three bronze medals when their athletes took part in a range of swimming events at the Special Olympics Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Swimming Gala.

Mr Miller’s daughter and Leeds Stars’ head coach Lucy Kelly said: “It started back to when one of our swimmers was discriminated against by a different swimming club.

“That’s when my dad decided to get his own squad and now here we are ten years later.”

Alan reached out to Sam Webb, Aquatics and Junior Activities Manager at Leeds City Council, who helped assemble a team of swimmers and Leeds Stars was born.

The club now has a total of 14 members, aged between 11 and 42, who train regularly at Armley Leisure Centre for both fun and competition practice.

Alongside medals, the team won four speeding tickets, a Special Olympics award given to athletes who swim their race faster than the time they registered for the race with.

The Special Olympics is a global sports organisation which provides year-round training and competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Leeds Stars’ latest success contributes to a total of 248 medals and speeding tickets won across their years of participation in the games.

Lucy said: “We’ve grown from strength to strength over the years.

“Everyone’s the same but some of us might look at the world a bit differently. (Some of our athletes) have been discriminated against and told they're not good enough - we’re that helping hand to say you are good enough.”

The Leeds Stars coaching team, alongside support from Armley Leisure Centre manager Dean McKenna, has helped the athletes reach medal-winning success at tournaments across the country.

Leeds Stars’ athletes participate in a variety of swimming races including breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly.

But there’s one particular event that is the highlight of any Special Olympics swimming gala: the male 4 x 50m relay, a race the club have a three-year winning streak in.

Anna said: “We love watching each and every athlete swim and we cheer them on every time . But when it's that relay, we are on the tip of our toes bouncing up and down.

“It’s always at the end of the day when everyone’s a bit tired, but to watch our team smash it is just amazing.”

Leeds Stars are always open to new members with additional joining their squad. If you’re interested in learning more, email [email protected] for more information.