Moses Lake Special Olympian throws out first pitch at Mariners game

SEATTLE — When Moses Lake resident Kassandra Sandgren was told she could throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Seattle Mariners game, she couldn’t believe it.

“I, honestly, wondered if they had the right person,” Sandgren said. “I was surprised they had asked me and how I was selected as a candidate for it.”

Sandgren, 38, took the mound ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, representing Special Olympics Washington’s Alliance for Inclusive Health, which aims to provide those with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state greater access to inclusive health care, led by charter member Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, according to a press release.

“It was a lot of fun,” Sandgren said. “It was a lot of people (there), but I kind of just focused on what I needed to do so I didn’t get too nervous for it. I didn’t psych myself out.”

Even better for Sandgren, who was attending her second Mariners game, was that she got the ball to home plate after being nervous about her ability to do so.

“I was actually very proud of myself,” Sandgren said. “I had major doubts that I would be able to throw it that far,” Sandgren said. “When I was envisioning it before I got out there, I was thinking that the home plate was a lot farther from the pitcher’s mound, and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I can do that.’”

Sandgren joined the Special Olympics after she moved back to Moses Lake less than five years ago, citing influence from her sister, Becky Jones, who has been involved with the organization for about 15 years.

“She’d been trying to get me to (join) for years, and I didn’t know if it was for me,” Sandgren said. “... I moved back (to Moses Lake) a few years later, and I just needed something to do. I was going through a particularly dark time mental health-wise, and I needed something to keep me active.”

While she competes in softball, flag football, soccer, basketball and track and field with the Moses Lake Scorpions, Sandgren said soccer has been her favorite sport to play.

“It’s the competition – the back-and-forth flow of the game, it’s riveting for me,” she said. “I never played soccer as a kid and I’ve only been doing it since Moses Lake’s offered it the last three years, so it’s fascinating for me because I see my improvement every year and I see my teammate’s improvement every year.

According to a release by VMFH, 170,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live across the state, and many face health risks and systemic inequities due to stigma, exclusion and inadequate access to qualified health care and support services. The Alliance for Inclusive Health looks to bridge that gap with education for providers and accessibility for individuals living with IDD, as well as bring together a diverse set of partner organizations to foster collaboration, show the importance of inclusive health practices and increase access to health programs.

"We are extremely grateful for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health’s leadership and are proud to welcome them as the first partner in our effort to build a world where individuals with IDD are supported by holistic health initiatives that ensure their dignity and well-being,” Special Olympics Washington President and CEO David Wu said in a release by VMFH.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.