Special Olympics: A Special Experience

By MATT URSIN-SMITH | Intern

The 2015 Special Olympics World Games came to a close on Sunday in the same venue where they began eight days earlier—the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It was a celebration of the estimated 6,500 athletes from 165 countries who competed for medals in 14 sports at locations throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

I had the opportunity to volunteer specifically for the golf competitions at Wilson & Harding Golf Course throughout the week. It was a great experience, but moreover, it was a great event for the competitors. I was able to caddy for an athlete from South Africa named Joshua.

When I first greeted him on Monday morning, I noticed how quiet he was. During our practice round that day, we didn’t exchange many words and he didn’t ask for any golf advice. I was a little bummed because I felt like we weren’t close at all going into the actual tournament.

However, the first day of competition, when I said hello to him on the practice range, he gave me a big smile. This one small gesture was so monumental to our week. I felt like he opened up to me a bit, allowing for some trust to grow in between us.

This connection held true as Josh played four incredible rounds, placing first in his division, and fourth overall.

Some of his highlights included two hole outs for eagle, a tee shot that drove the green that ended up five feet from the hole, and a 70-foot birdie putt drained with ease. Although Josh hit some really impressive golf shots, it was his attitude that impressed me most.

Whenever he hit a bad shot, he would look at me to say ‘that wasn’t very good’ and chuckle. Then he would proceed to hit a great shot to recover and get back in play.

So many golfers struggle because of a mental block, but not Josh. His ability to brush off the negative and get back to the positive was as good as the pros. So many athletes at the games shared this trait.

I have never seen so many smiles, heard so many laughs or felt such camaraderie at a golf competition in my life. This is the reason why I loved volunteering at the Games so much.

The Special Olympics goes back to the fundamental idea of treating others how you would like to be treated, whether that be on or off the field. It was a pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful organization and event, and I will definitely never forget the week that I had with Joshua.