In the latest audio addition of “Listen in With KNN” sports talk radio show/podcast presented by FOX Sports Radio, host Kelsey Nicole Nelson welcomed president and CEO of the Special Olympics Florida, Sherry Wheelock to the show.
To begin the show, Nelson congratulated Wheelock on being named one of Orlando’s Magazine Woman of the Year as she looks to continue to make a positive impact in the community.
Wheelock quickly credited her Special Olympics Florida Team to her success and the success of the organization. To which, Nelson asked Wheelock about what makes her the most proud of her team. “I am proud of the impact that has happened through the last 12 years. Our team has been all in making sure that our athletes have the access they need to extraordinary opportunities,” she said. Wheelock also dove into some of the ways that her team improves the athletes’ experiences. “We have expanded our health programming to not only the day of the event screening, but also nutrition classes, learning about different hydration techniques, and expanding past the basics that we could do to improve their health,” she said.
Wheelock added the fact of how they have grown in the education department for athletes and the rise in athlete participation. “We have grown our Unified Champions education program, which is for people with intellectual disabilities, which is a new tenant in Florida which we started in 2013. We are now in 500 schools across the state with that program,” she said. “We have grown from 20,000 athletes to now 70,000.”
In a very populous and heavy sports filled place like Florida, Nelson followed-up on her questions about the Unified Champion Schools program and the educational programming the organization provides by asking Wheelock where she thinks Special Olympics sits in regards to a big sports market like Florida. “So I can’t imagine a team having more than 70,000 athletes participating in it, I definitely think size wise. We are part of the largest participation driven sports, with 45,000 participants last year. We really work with the different universities and major league sports teams. We actually just had a great flag football event that we hosted with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We work with all the leagues to do virtual events that help get more awareness out for the sport,” she said.
When it comes to Special Olympics, there is still a lot to be learned by the general public. Wheelock opened up about some of the misconceptions about the Special Olympics. “One of our biggest challenges is making sure people know that it’s not just one day. In a year, we have nearly 300 competitions across that state of Florida. Every day, there could be a culminating event, training, or screenings. It’s not just one major event in one day,” she said.
Speaking about the sporting side of events, Nelson wanted to speak about the coaches behind the program. Nelson brought up the program Go Coach!, which is a program that encourages young adults in Florida to become a Special Olympics coach. “The role that is actually closest to our athletes in really driving that impact, building their confidence, and helping them set their goals is really the coach. So the coach is so crucial because they will be closest to the athlete day in and day out. They are going to be helping them with their sport technique, improving performance around their sports, but also introducing them to an active lifestyle. So this role is very crucial,” said Wheelock.
To wrap up, Nelson and Wheelock talked about the importance of wanting these coaches part of the athletes’ lives. “We need the athletes, yes, but they have to have a coach before they can actually create a registered training team. We really have to identify coaches as we grow to lead these sports,” she said. Wheelock highlighted the need for a stand-up paddle coach.
Interested individuals should visit the organization’s website. Once there, individuals should click on the Go Coach! pop up to share their interests, location, and time commitment. Wheelock added “from there we will have our teammates, our coaches, and our education program staff and help walk you through what sports and everything looks like.”
