Wednesday, June 24, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.
Reggie Daniel cradles his bowling shot successful his near manus and gazes down the lane. Three pins are standing.
He rocks backmost and distant with excitement, his eyes locked connected his target. After a fewer speedy steps, helium releases the shot with a creaseless rotation and watches intently.
One pin topples, past different — and yet the third. A spare.
Daniel spins astir and pumps his fist, a grin stretching wide crossed his face.
A fewer frames later, helium faces a akin challenge. This time, the shot misses each 3 pins.
There is nary celebration. But arsenic Daniel turns to locomotion back, his grin is conscionable arsenic wide arsenic ever.
Daniel, 38, carried that grin to Minneapolis, wherever helium is representing Nevada astatine the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. The lawsuit began Saturday and runs done Friday.
He was successful his constituent astatine signifier with Special Olympics Nevada — and that grin said everything. It embodies the intent of the organization’s diversion programs, officials said.
“It allows them to beryllium themselves,” said Harry Mong, vice president of operations for Special Olympics Nevada. “It’s rewarding knowing that we supply thing radical look guardant to.”
Nevada sent 12 athletes to the lawsuit astatine the University of Minnesota — 4 each successful bowling, swimming, and way and field. Daniel earned his spot by medaling past season, a agelong that drew astir 200 bowlers crossed 8 weeks of practices earlier culminating successful competition.
Bowling is simply a household pastime, 1 that brings them to the lanes doubly a week. Daniel carries a 105 mean and a precocious people of 179.
He besides leads the lanes successful smiles and successful welcoming others. His signature greeting is to widen his manus for a shingle — past rapidly propulsion it backmost and hole his hairsbreadth instead.
“Watching him with his friends is priceless,” his father, JT Daniel, said.
Against each odds
Superfetation is an highly uncommon aesculapian improvement — less than 10 cases person been documented worldwide, according to a 2008 French survey cited by CNN — successful which a idiosyncratic becomes large portion already carrying a fetus. There person been astatine slightest 4 much cases since 2008, including 3 successful the United States.
That is however Reggie Daniel came into the world, according to his parents. His mother, Regina Daniel, was already six weeks large with Reggie’s duplicate brother, Victor, erstwhile she conceived again, the mates said. Doctors advised her to person an abortion. She refused.
Reggie was calved weighing conscionable 3 pounds, 3 ounces — truthful tiny that his begetter recalls cradling him successful a azygous hand.
JT and Regina had met portion stationed astatine Nellis Air Force Base. Shortly aft Reggie was born, the subject sent him to a specialized infectious illness infirmary successful San Antonio for further evaluation, his parents said. Some days, his somesthesia spiked to 110 degrees.
“They said helium would ne'er walk, ne'er talk,” Regina Daniel said. “Look astatine him now.”
Reggie lives with hydrocephalus, an accumulation of fluid connected the brain. When helium gets sick, it wipes him retired completely, requiring lengthy infirmary stays, his parents said.
When he’s well, he’s leaving his people connected everyone astir him.
He sings successful the choir astatine Calvary Southern Baptist Church and besides serves arsenic an usher.
“I’m ever having fun,” helium says, flashing his trademark smile. “I similar to dance, too.”
Reggie is besides an progressive beingness astatine Opportunity Village, the southwest Las Vegas field offering services for radical with disabilities. He is 1 of the organization’s ambassadors and has appeared connected billboards crossed the valley.
The relation has had its perks.
Through Opportunity Village, Reggie has met hoops fable Michael Jordan and Penn Jillette, the magician and comedian who is among the organization’s astir salient supporters.
Ask Reggie his favourite sports squad and the reply comes without hesitation. “Michael Jordan — that’s my boy, No. 23,” helium shouts.
At home, Reggie lives successful a casita attached to his family’s property, adjacent capable to cheque connected his parents regularly. He is known to hole 1 of his favourite meals — blistery dogs, nary buns. Victor works for the occurrence section successful Brentwood, Calif.
Why they play
Mong has spent 17 years with Special Olympics Nevada — agelong capable that galore of the families helium serves retrieve him from earlier helium had a household of his own.
He brought his young lad to a caller bowling practice, and Reggie wasted nary clip kneeling down to greet the babe successful the stroller.
It was a tiny infinitesimal that spoke to thing larger. Special Olympics Nevada is astir much than diversion contention — it’s astir community, Mong said.
“We look astatine each jock arsenic the champion astatine what they do,” helium said.
He has witnessed plentifulness of memorable moments done the years, including a heartbreaker successful 2018 erstwhile the Nevada squad fell astatine the buzzer against Indiana successful the hoops nationalist title astatine the Special Olympics USA Games successful Seattle.
Nevada missed 2 escaped throws that could person tied the crippled — yet moments aft the last horn, players and supporters from some teams gathered together, medals astir their necks, for a photo.
“The interaction (sports) person connected this assemblage is larger than immoderate result,” helium said.
Sports are 1 of Reggie’s passions.
In precocious school, helium helped down the scenes with the hoops programme astatine Las Vegas High School. His household are besides Vegas Golden Knights die-hards.
And then, of course, determination is bowling.
Reggie has his ain ball, shoes and bag. Most weeks helium bowls connected Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, with his begetter coaching connected the sidelines arsenic a Special Olympics Nevada volunteer.
Reggie has built up a postulation of medals on the way. But much important than the hardware: He has built up a postulation of friends.
“Everybody knows Reggie,” his parent said.
English (US)·