Nela Polan
Female Athlete of the Month

Nela Polan is a Special Olympics Colorado Fitness Captain from the Western Slope and is also part of the Athlete Leadership University (ALU). She currently competes in basketball, softball, and track and field.

Nela stands out as an athlete for her skills as a teammate. She is very supportive of her teammates, on and off the field. She has embraced her role as a Fitness Captain, and always works to make sure all Fitness Captains with Special Olympics Colorado have the resources they need to be successful.

Congratulations, Nela, on being this month’s Female Athlete of the Month!

Jordan Hall
Male Athlete of the Month

Sean Sundermann
Coach of the Month

Sean is the head coach on the newly formed Team Grommet, an Alpine Ski Team based in Denver. Sean is a long time Winter Games Organizing Committee volunteer, who leads in setting courses for practices and Regional and State competitions, while also supporting training events at Copper Mountain for other ski coaches throughout the State.

Sean also trained his young daughter, Casey, which inspired him to start his own youth Alpine team for other young skiers!

The Winter Season saw Team Grommet compete in both Front Range and State Winter Games with four new Special Olympics Colorado youth skiers, all under the age of 11, making them the youngest ski team in the state! Sean’s passion and commitment to his team is unparalleled and we look forward to seeing Team Grommet grow in 2021.

Congratulations, Sean! We’re very happy to recognize you as March’s Coach of the Month!

The Sharpe Family
Family of the Month

Congratulations to the Sharpe family on being our March Family of the Month!

Jack Therkildsen
Volunteer of the Month

Jack has been involved with Special Olympics Colorado (SOCO) for 33 years as a parent, volunteer, and coach.  He is currently the Head Coach of the Trailblazers, an Alpine Ski Team out of Denver (formerly known as the High Plains Alpine Ski Team). Jack is the definition of a positive role model. He consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that all SOCO athletes have both a meaningful and rewarding experience. Jack works closely with the Alpine volunteer team to set up additional clinics for his team to ensure they receive great training and continue to improve (even at the advanced level).

In addition to his talents and dedication as a coach, Jack is always willing to lend a hand. He has been absolutely instrumental in providing van transportation for athletes throughout the Winter Season, donating his free time to help with the mid-season race, extra pickups and trips out to Copper Mountain!

Jack enjoys volunteering with SOCO because of the smiles from athletes, coaches, all the volunteers, and the staff. “Every activity that I have been involved with, either as a coach or a parent, has been a positive experience,” says Jack. “I enjoy watching the athletes expand their physical and social comfort zones resulting in big smiles of achievement or just having fun.”

We are honored to call Jack part of the SOCO family. Congratulations on being March’s Volunteer of the Month!