A sailing duo who trained together at the Fairhope Yacht Club returned home to Baldwin County with a gold medal after competing at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles.
The pair, who have sailed together for roughly two years through a unified sailing program based in Fairhope, were one of just five U.S. sailing teams selected to compete at the international games, which ran from late July into early August. They earned their spot at the World Games by winning gold the previous year at a regional qualifying competition in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The unified sailing partner, who works as an X-ray technician in a Mobile hospital emergency room in his day job, said the experience of competing alongside his teammate meant more to him than the medal itself. He described the partnership as a genuine joy, saying the chance to compete together and watch his teammate succeed felt like giving a meaningful gift.
His teammate, reflecting on the accomplishment shortly after returning from Los Angeles, spoke with obvious pride and excitement about the achievement, saying he loved the competition, the people and the overall experience of representing his community on an international stage.
During the week of competition, the pair said they largely tuned out the field of competitors and focused on their own performance, checking standings occasionally but concentrating mainly on racing their best each day. Conditions weren’t always smooth. At one point during the competition, their boat capsized, an experience they were able to laugh about afterward as part of what made the week memorable.
On the final day of competition, a coach reminded the team that simply staying upright in their boat would be enough to secure the gold medal, advice that proved accurate as the pair held on to capture the top prize.
The Special Olympics athlete’s competitive résumé extends well beyond sailing. He also bowls, competes as a powerlifter, and represented the U.S. as a Special Olympics powerlifting competitor in 2014. His next athletic pursuit is golf. His unified sailing partner said he plans to continue sailing together in the years ahead while also keeping an eye on his teammate’s bowling career.
The Fairhope-based unified sailing program has become a source of local pride within Baldwin County’s Special Olympics community, offering athletes the chance to train on Mobile Bay and compete at increasingly high levels of competition, culminating for this pair in an international gold medal performance representing the United States.