Aryan N Nagalli 21 yrs, has been skating for 9 years. Focusing to achieve the feat in the initial years, the sport grew within, giving him joy, positivity, and a purpose. After having been turned away from several schools due to his under-performance in academics, sports have become his statement of ability and attempt. He skates tirelessly for 3 hours in a day, including slide boarding at home, additionally putting in two hours of fitness exercises, to compete at the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2023.
Despite a normal delivery, Aryan developed an infection from three months & started to show signs of abnormality from age of 3 years. His early years pushed his parents in a spin, running from one city to the other to find a cause. His development continued to be dissatisfactory. When he was sent to school, he would return scared and inhibited to go the next day. His under-performance in studies became a worry as his parents were told that there was no place for Aryan in their school. He had no friends, his only friends being his two younger siblings.
Aryan’s parents are passionate about sports. They are both, Skating Coaches. They planned the day for Aryan and, decided to place Aryan on skates trusting he would roll! However, they were unable to get a Coach who knew the sport as well as could train their son. Aryan was refused to join in State level Roller Skating Competition that had mainstream skaters coming . They opened a Skating academy in Bangalore in his name by ARYAN SKATERS (A special kid dream come true) to provide a platform for other athletes with Intellectual and Developmental disability to access. The academy trains approx. 70 persons out of which 8-10 are with Intellectual/Developmental Disability. According to them, they did not want any child with special needs to be deprived of any opportunity to grow. Anil recalls overwhelmingly, the time, not very far back, when Aryan’s participation in a mainstream event was turned down and he was laughed at. Within then and now, KRSA State level Championship winning a Gold Medal & RSFI National Championship event, winning a Silver medal. RSFI (Roller Skating Federation of India) has started a category for Athletes with Special needs as part of their module.
While Anil and Sujata focused on developing the skill in him, Special Olympics provided him a platform to showcase his ability on a scale so exclusive and enormous. He joined Special Olympics 6 years back. Practicing on skates has brought him closer to his parents, where they speak a common language. Anil Nagalli, his father, is a Skating Coach with Special Olympics for six years.Aryan assists his parents in training others in Skating.
Anil is a Graphic Designer , by profession, creating yet another avenue of interest for Aryan. Aryan enjoys working on the computer, where he practices few basic skills, with his father.
“My son is a sportsperson and I am proud of him. Sports has given him confidence and a sense of purpose. He felt useless earlier. I would like to tell everyone that every child has an ability which is lying dormant, waiting to be explored. Recognize and develop it. The people who bullied my son now clap for him when he dons his kit to practice for nothing less than ‘World Games’” – Mrs. Nagalli Sujatha Anil, Aryan’s mother
