Congrats to Kason Kolka, Gymnast for Florida at the Special Olympics 2022

Follow Kason's Journey on Facebook

The IMPACT Tallahassee team gathered early Friday morning to wish Kason Kolka luck as he heads off to Orlando to participate in the 2022 Special Olympics, happening at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex at Disney this week. An Academy student, Kason is one of the few gymnasts selected to represent Florida at the National Special Olympics, also known as the USA Games.

Like many before him, Kason was inspired to try gymnastics to be like his older brother. Through an established program at local Tallahassee gym, Gym Force, Kason began working with coaches Nikolai Korepanov and Jim Hisley around 2014/2015 and has since participated in local area games and at the state games yearly.

“Kason is a prime example of why we do what we do here at IMPACT. We work hard to ensure students of all abilities receive the support, education, training, and therapies to become independent, thriving members of their local community,” said IMPACT CEO (and Kason’s father!) Kevin Kolka. “Kason’s worked incredibly hard to achieve all he has within his gymnastics training and the entire IMPACT team is proud of him.”

Kason currently attends IMPACT Academy and is working towards gaining the necessary workforce training and social and educational skills that will allow him to become an independent assistant teacher within IMPACT Academy.

He will participate in all six of the gymnastics events at this year’s Special Olympics, a week long event with more than 5,500 athletes from all 50 states participating. He will be supported by his parents, Kevin and Stacey Kolka, and his siblings, Kayla, Karson, and Kade.

Update, June 9th: Congratulations are in order — Kason placed 4th on the pommel horse and earned gold both on the floor and on rings! The IMPACT team remains incredibly proud of not only Kason, but all of the Olympians down in Orlando this week.

Update, June 10th: The wins continue! Kason won gold on the parallel bars and on the high bar, as well as a bronze medal for vault. We are so proud of Kason and all that he and his team accomplished this week.

I am proud to be a part of a team that puts others in front of themselves.
Lawrence Mvrica
IMPACT Foundation Board Member
The positive energy the staff brings to the center every day, helps you know your little one is being well taken care of. Everyone at the center have truly become a part of our family now and we will be forever grateful for each and every one of them. Everything is so great that now we are also looking forward to their after school program!
Caitlin Huard
I can’t say enough great things about The Summer Escape program! Trusting people when you have a child with special needs is often a scary thing. You want to make sure the people surrounding your little one are kind, caring, and able keep them safe. We are so lucky to have found this program and love all of the people who help run things.
Caitlin Huard
The most comforting aspect as a parent, is knowing that my son is in an environment where he can learn and is understood. I am very thankful for the school's mission to educate kids with learning differences and the teachers and administrators that make this happen every day.
Shacarra Sigler
We struggled with the school placement decision, because we wanted to find the right school that would be a good fit for our son. I am so glad that we chose IMPACT. [...] His teachers have been amazing, and we have seen progress in his ability to focus, independently complete classroom assignments, appropriately interact socially, and speech improvement. They have put the time and effort towards his individual needs, and we are reaping the rewards.
Shacarra Sigler
We struggled with the school placement decision, because we wanted to find the right school that would be a good fit for our son. I am so glad that we chose IMPACT; they are so helpful, caring, and understand my son’s specific needs. They have accommodated his needs on so many levels, which I believe would have been unmet at other schools.
Shacarra Sigler
The environment is inclusive, safe and our son looks forward to his sessions. We are very thankful for the summer camp programs. The VPK program was amazing for him as well.
Teresa Corbet
Our son has a rare genetic syndrome, delayed development and learning disabilities. We have been bringing him to IMPACT Tallahassee since he was 1-year-old and he will soon be 10. The staff in the office, the teachers, the aides are all amazing with the children; I'm very impressed with their professionalism and compassion. I personally recommend IMPACT to people on a regular basis.
Teresa Corbet
IMPACT Tallahassee and their staff have become such an important part of our lives over the last 9 years. We couldn't imagine not being there on a weekly basis.
Teresa Corbet