Whether they are competing as athletes or volunteering their time to make another athlete’s or spectator’s experience more enjoyable, a pair of New Prague men have a special connection to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games this week in the Twin Cities.
New Prague’s Seth Dorner is a member of the soccer team representing Minnesota, one of 258 special Olympians from the state. Douglas (DJ) Gilder is volunteering his time to make athletes experiences all the more enjoyable. Dorner is a member of the Prior Lake-Savage unified soccer team. He also competes for the Minnesota Loons unified soccer team. Gilder has competed and won honors in Special Olympics competitions in New Jersey in 2014, Seattle, Wash., in 2018 and Florida in 2022 before the games here in Minnesota. This time, he’s volunteering his time with the Knights of Columbus providing intake services for athletes.
Special Olympics means plenty to these talented, unique people who simply want to compete and be a part of a meaningful experience.
“I just want to play. Win or lose, it’s a lot of fun,” Dorner said. His team lost its first game of the Special Olympics Monday, June 22, 2-0, to Maryland. Tuesday morning, June 23, the team was slated to play Northern California at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Tuesday afternoon, team Minnesota was scheduled to face a team from Pennsylvania. Win or lose, playing for fun and the love of the game is Dorner’s motivation, he said. Special Olympians compete in 16 different sports this week. Dorner competes in indoor floor hockey and indoor softball as well. He also participates in basketball, golf, bocce ball and cornhole. He was a member of New Prague High School’s indoor hockey and softball teams before he graduated in 2020. He is still part of the NPHS teams as a manager.
Team Minnesota soccer is actually Dorner’s Prior Lake-Savage unified team. Practicing as a group since February, the team is a collection of young players who enjoy playing together. Dorner is one of the...
To see more on this story pick up the June 25, 2026 print edition of The New Prague Times.