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How the HP Buddy Bowl Empowers Special Needs Students to Become Football Champions · The Bubble Lounge (Highland Park & University Park Texas)

• 0:00
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• 0:59
  Speaker 1: The Bubble Lounge sent you.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Bubble Lounge.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: I'm Martha Jackson, and today we are joined by Brayden and Brielle Shager, who started the Highland Park Buddy Bulls several years ago.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: They're both Highland Park grads and they're here to tell us all about it.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: Guys, welcome to the show.
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: Thanks for having us.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Well, can you both start with introducing yourselves and telling us a little bit about your time at Highland Park?
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm Britton Shager.
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: I graduated in 2021 and played football there for four years and then, you know, got to start this wonderful event with my sister.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: And I'm Brielle Shager and I graduated in 2023 and I was involved in student council in the yearbook at Highland Park and we got the opportunity to start this wonderful event that we never thought could be so big, but it's been an amazing experience.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Very, very nice.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Well, how did this idea come about and how did it start?
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it started.
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: My mom and I were watching college game day one morning and saw Christian McCaffrey and his family do something similar and we really just thought it was just kind of amazing and just very touching and we've always kind of had a heart for kids with special needs and just giving them an opportunity to do something that you know we get to go out and do every single day.
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: Giving them an opportunity to do something that you know we get to go out and do every single day, and it's really awesome and you know it brings, you know, just as much joy to the people working as it does to the kids playing, so it's really fun.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: And we knew that football is such a big thing in Texas.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: So seeing Christian McCaffrey do this, we knew that we needed to start something like this here.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: Well, what inspires you to team up with the special needs kids?
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: We going to higher elementary and growing up in Highland Park, I've grown up with the same group of kids and so I I've always known these people and I've always wanted to be able to put them in the spotlight.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: So I love that we've had the opportunity to be able to do that.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: Well, for somebody that hasn't been to the event, can you paint a picture of what the day looks like?
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: I had the pleasure of going last year for the first time.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: I had no idea what to expect and I was just beyond amazed at all of the details and all the work that goes into this event, and just the amount of people that showed up and filled the stands.
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's pretty great.
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: We hear that, you know, all the time, which is really cool.
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: You know people come and don't really know what to expect, but then there's, you know, a ton of people in the stands.
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: The community really does a great job of getting involved.
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: Highland Park everybody shows up and you know it's really cool to see all the kids on the field, you know just having a good time, whether they don't want to participate or don't want to play, and they're on the sideline, they're still having a blast or they're running down the field scoring touchdowns, hearing their name called.
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: So it's really cool and it's just something the whole community gets involved in and everybody comes out and cheers and really just makes it about those kids for one day and it's really awesome.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: So how do you all you pair an athlete with one of the players?
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: How do you guys put those, connect those people together?
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: So it started with Brayden's class and we have three meetings and then it was passed down to my grade and now I've passed it on.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: But we have those meetings and each kid who comes they get to decide if they want to be paired with an athlete or if they want to run a station.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: So it's not just football players, it is everyone at the school.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: So anyone who wants to participate.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: Well, what makes the Buddy Bowl different from a typical football game?
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: It's just, it's very, just a wholesome event.
• 4:44
  Speaker 3: You know it's just, you know it's something that those kids don't get to do all the time.
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: You know it's.
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: It's something that you know they dream of playing football with their friends.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: And you know going out and getting to do something that you know I got to do and a lot of my friends, and it's just really cool just to see the look on their face and the smiles and you know hearing their name called on the loudspeaker and it's just, it's awesome.
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: And you know everybody wins in the Buddy Bowl, which is really cool.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what I really thought was unique and different is you really don't keep score, right?
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: We keep score but it's always we already have a team in every year.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a very generous scoring system.
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: It looked to be, but you're right.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: They announced the names so often and you could just see the kids light up.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: They absolutely love that.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: I think there's just nothing like being on a football field and running down and playing.
• 5:37
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• 6:48
  Speaker 1: Well, so you guys have been doing this for several years now.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: How has it grown and evolved since the beginning?
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: Well, at first we thought it was going to be just a small game at a park, but Highland Park, nobody does anything small.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: So when we started to spread the word, we had so many people want to get involved and so many sponsors were so generous like our T-shirts, face painters, balloon makers, everyone that wanted to get involved.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: So we were lucky enough to have Highland Park offer up their stadium, which really makes it feel like a true football game.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: Can you guys share a couple of your favorite memories from over the years, anything exciting or unique that happened?
• 7:33
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, one of the first years there was a there was a kid in a wheelchair and Coach Eason it was the last play of the game and we needed the one team to score to kind of tie up the game and Coach Eason, you know, volunteered to, you know, take the kid out of the wheelchair, put him on his back and run him in for the touchdown on the last play and tie the game up and that's how the first buddy bowl actually ended.
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: So that was a really amazing moment.
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: I know there was a lot of people pretty emotional after that and it was really cool to see.
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: I still kind of get goosebumps thinking about it now.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: Well, if you know Coach Eason, we can all picture him doing just that.
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: He's definitely got a soft spot for the kids and that's such a great story.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: I love that.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: He truly makes the game.
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: We could not do it without him.
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: Well, what kind of feedback do you get from the buddies and their families about participating in the event?
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: One of my favorite stories is Coach Smith, who is Braden correct me if I'm wrong the receivers coach at Highland Park.
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: Okay, well, his son used to never go to the Highland Park games because he was afraid of the crowd and, after going to the Buddy Bowl, he hasn't missed one of their games since and he looks forward to them every week.
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: So that was something that I think about often is really special to me.
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: Well, I think anytime that we volunteer, it definitely does a lot for us and also the people that we're helping and we're impacting.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: What are some of the stories or how has it changed you being involved with the Betty Bull for so long?
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: I think it just makes you take nothing for granted.
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: It's just you know it brings you back to earth every time.
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: You know you just see how happy those kids just to have, you know, just a couple hours out there, just you know being, you know just just being out there with their friends and seeing how much fun they have, and you know getting to do stuff.
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: That you know, like I keep saying that we get to do all the time and just it doesn't.
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: It makes you not take anything for granted and brings you back to earth.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: And just you know that you, you know the biggest thing is our health and you know how we get to go, do all these things every single day and, uh, it's, it's really just amazing just to see the smiles on their face as well well, tell us about this year's event.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: Is there anything new or different that you have planned?
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: the only different thing is, just as brain and I are now off at college, we have a new group of guys coming in and helping us.
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: So it gets harder each year.
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: I cannot lie when we're not there and we don't know everyone involved.
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: So we're so lucky that we have people who come in and help us.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: But other than that, the event will be the same May 3rd.
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: Please come out and fill the stands.
• 10:18
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• 10:22
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• 11:10
  Speaker 1: I was going to ask how can the community get involved?
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: It looks like that you have all of your player spots taken, but there's always room for volunteers, I'm sure player spots taken but there's always room for volunteers, I'm sure.
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: Yes, we would, you know, love all the volunteers we can get, from the senior and junior class or whoever.
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: And then you know everybody in the community.
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: We really just love that when they come out and support and hear them cheer loud for those kids.
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: I know that they love it and it's really it's just kind of a embodiment of the community of Highland Park, so it's it's really awesome when a embodiment of the community of Highland Park, so it's really awesome when everybody gets out there.
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: I always say that's one of my most favorite parts of living here is just that sense of community, and nothing brings this community together, quite like football, as you know Well.
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: So what are your hopes for the future of the Buddy Bowl?
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: I mean, do you feel like you're going to continue the tradition?
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: I hope so.
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: I hope that we have enough people who want to come back and help us because, like we've been saying, it truly affects us so much and it affects the community, and it just takes about four hours.
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: So this one-time event truly is life-changing, so I hope that we are able to continue it on.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: So is this year.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: Is it starting a little earlier than it did last year?
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: We've adjusted the schedule a little bit, the I believe the game will start at 10.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: 1045?
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: .
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we might?
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: I'll provide a link to the website so you can have details, and I'll put all the information in the notes so you guys don't have to remember anything.
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: Perfect, so this is what year of the Buddy Bowl?
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: Year eight.
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: Wow.
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: Yeah, we started in 2017 or 2016, 2016, I believe.
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: Right, we had to miss one year for COVID, but the eighth annual.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: Other than that, you've been going strong.
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 13:04
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• 13:55
  Speaker 1: As a parent, we always love to hear just success stories from Highland Park graduates, and I was curious how going to Highland Park has affected your leadership skills.
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: And then also tell us a little bit more about what you're doing now and what your plans for the future are.
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I went to.
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: You know I had an awesome time at Highland Park and you know learned a lot and obviously you know it sets you up really well for the future.
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: And I went on to play football at the University of Hawaii.
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: You know the Buddy Bowl and from you know playing football at Highland Park and you know went to Hawaii and had a great time and you know I started three years there and you know had an awesome experience and you know I couldn't have done that without.
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: You know the things that I had learned from Highland Park and especially just the leadership skills that I continued to learn from creating the Buddy Bowl with my sister.
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: Well, I've often heard people say that Highland Park was harder than college.
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: College is much easier than Highland Park.
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: I'm now at TCU.
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: This is my second year here and I will say there's definitely some classes here that make Highland Park seem very hard, and so it's totally set me up and I appreciate all that Highland Park did because now I'm here and in some leadership roles in clubs and my sorority that.
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: So I'm so lucky that I'm able to use all those skills that I've learned here and I actually am in a speech class right now and I gave a speech over the Buddy Bowl and now my whole class is getting extra credit if they come out and support the Buddy Bowl, which is really cool just to see the impact that me telling the story even had on these people.
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: Oh, that's awesome.
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: I love that Brielle Well, so why should the juniors and seniors keep your tradition alive and keep going with the Buddy Bowl?
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: I think they just they're going to get, you know, so much out of it.
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: You know just seeing how, how much it means to those kids that you know don't get to do this all the time.
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: And you know it's really just something that you walk away from after just spending three or four hours of your day on a Saturday morning, that you walk away just so, you know thankful and you know just so grateful for all the things that you get to do in life and how you just affected somebody else's life.
• 16:22
  Speaker 3: And you know so many kids we have go on and write, you know, college essays or do projects, like Brielle said about the Buddy Bowl.
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: It's just something that you can, you know, tell stories about and continue to bring on with you, you know, all the way through life.
• 16:36
  Speaker 3: So we're just going to get so much out of it and it's just really special so I hope they continue to carry it on.
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: Well, I agree with you 100%.
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: I was there, like I said, for the first time last year and just covering it for the Bubble Lounge purposes and trying to help get the word out.
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: I felt exactly like what you're describing there, brayden, and I walked away just feeling so happy and excited that our community was able to offer something this amazing.
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: So this is what year of the Buddy Bowl?
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: Year eight.
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: Wow.
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: Yeah, we started in 2017 or 2016,.
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: I believe.
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: Right, we had to miss one year for COVID, but the eighth annual.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: Other than that, you've been going strong.
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: Well, so quick lightning round.
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: What's your favorite football movie?
• 17:28
  Speaker 3: Draft Day.
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: Draft Day.
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: Do you have one real?
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: All-American TV show.
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: What's your favorite hype song?
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: In the Air Tonight Phil Collins A good one God's Country.
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: If you could have any NFL player show up at the Buddy Bowl, who would it be?
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: Josh Allen.
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: Oh, Dak Prescott.
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: I love it.
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: I love it All right.
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: Well, is there anything else you all would like to share with the community and get them to come out and fill those stands?
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: You said it.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: Ben, just fill the stands.
• 18:12
  Speaker 3: Yeah, we love the community support and just please come out and support.
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: You know those kids and they love it and you know all the help we can get.
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: We really appreciate it.
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: Perfect.
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: Well, guys, thank you so much for joining me.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: I know you guys are super busy and I really appreciate your time.
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: Of course that's been another episode of the Bubble Lounge.
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: I'm Martha Jackson and we will see you at the Buddy Bowl.