Member-only story
THE NARRATIVE ARC
My Joy in Working with Athletes with Down Syndrome
My personal journey with the Special Olympics.
As I pulled into the Aquatic Center parking lot, I didn’t know what to expect.
I was in my early 20s, a former college swimmer, who’d taken a naïve and untested vow of eternal bachelorhood. At the behest of a friend, I volunteered to coach the Special Olympics swim team — to give back and get out of my own orbit.
I’d spent years partying and living free. This was an opportunity to slow down and contribute towards something bigger than myself. I remembering stepping onto the humid pool deck, and being greeted by two coaches.
They greeted me on the pool deck. One was a silver-haired man, Tom, who had the gravely voice of a former-smoker. The other was a friendly and middle-aged blonde woman, Jen. Minutes later, our swimmers filed onto the deck — and it was unlike anything I’d seen before. It was a mishmash of people of all shapes and sizes, aged 18–60. They were mostly quiet. A few folks were chatting and laughing.
But I’ll never forget Peter. He was a 40-year-old brown-haired man with Down syndrome. He stood around 5’5, with big eyes, and a huge, magnetic smile that stretched from ear to ear. On the first day we met, he came…
