By Erin Holloway, Special Olympics Colorado Athlete Leader

 

I’ve been involved with Special Olympics for almost 45 years. Throughout this time, there have been some really amazing moments that have shaped who I am and kept me going. They helped me grow and continue to be a better leader.

Here are my favorite moments from my time with Special Olympics:

Competing with my brother, Aric, in Unified tennis for a whole season through State Summer Games

I think it was in the early 90’s. I don’t remember the year, but I do remember the feeling of having my real-life hero, the person I believed in most, being my Unified partner.

We won the silver medal at State Summer Games. For me, the time we shared playing tennis together was priceless.

 

Spending a week in Steamboat Springs, Colorado at the only U.S Winter Games National Championships in 1992

I had the opportunity of being 1 of 6 Special Olympics Colorado athletes to be invited to compete in alpine racing. I won 2 gold medals and it was a blast. I also won the participant ribbon while racing in the slalom and it was a learning experience for me. The best part was skiing with my new friend and racing legend, Billy Kidd. Just skiing fast, it doesn’t get any better than that!

 

Being the first athlete asked to serve as an Alpine Race Official at the 1997 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Toronto, Canada

Being an alpine race official was such an special experience. It was the most work I have ever done! It gave me such appreciation for all of the volunteers and coaches and how much effort they put into each event. It was also my first time meeting Eunice Kennedy-Shriver, Sargent Shriver, and Tim Shriver. They made a special trip to the alpine venue to meet and congratulate me on my accomplishment in becoming an alpine race official. That was huge. It took a lot of hard work and I think it was the beginning for me to become an athlete leader.

 

Being asked to dinner and a concert at The White House for the 30-year celebration of Special Olympics

This was the best celebration I have ever been to in my entire life! I was invited to the dinner and concert in 1998 and being inside the White House was so cool.

I had the opportunity to meet the Bill Clinton, the President of the United States and got his autograph. At dinner, I also sat with my skiing hero, Billy Kidd, and Kathy Ireland. I got to socialize with even more celebrities, including The Blues Traveler, Evander Hollyfield, Grant Hill, and many more.

What else can I say – it was simply the best party I have ever been to. Nobody does it better than The White House!

 

Being the first Special Olympics Colorado athlete to be invited to serve on the Special Olympics Colorado Board of Directors

I joined the Board of Directors in the late 90’s and served for 6 years. Having meaningful participation in serving as a Board of Director was my platform as a Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger.

I gained a great appreciation of how hard Board members work and give their time to support Special Olympics Colorado.

 

Being selected to serve as a Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger

I was 1 of 12 athletes chosen from around the world to serve from 2002-2004 as a Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger (SSIGM). It was a huge honor, and I will treasure all my memories from that experience for the rest of my life. As an SSIGM, I traveled to different countries and I spoke on my platform about athletes being included on the Board of Directions, but not as a token position. It needed to be a meaningful position where their voice was heard. Meeting other athletes from around the world and learning their culture and how things could be different from the United States, was very cool. It was incredible to share experiences and was very eye-opening.

 

Receiving SSIGM class ring

Growing up, I didn’t get a class ring, senior pictures, or a yearbook from high school. It wasn’t a meaningful experience in my life at the time.

I received a Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger class ring at the end of my term. There was a special ceremony where the class before gave us our ring. That ring is my most prized treasure. It reminds me of how far I have come and how strong I can be.

From not being able to complete speech as a high school graduation requirement, to being able to stand before hundreds or thousands of people and speak to them about the importance of Special Olympics fills me with pride.

My ring is a symbol of all the things I can do and Special Olympics helped me in reaching and achieving those goals and dreams.

 

Attending the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Ireland as a Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger

At the time, it was the biggest sporting event in the world. When we first got to Ireland, the people would stop us on the street and tell us how happy they were for us to be there. It was amazing! During my time in Ireland, I gave important speeches at many events. One of my best memories was walking through the Athlete Village and meeting one of my all-time favorite sports heroes, Muhammad Ali. He had motioned to me from the crowd to come to him! I knelt beside him, and he kissed me on my cheek. A once in a lifetime kiss, I will always remember. And the sparkle in his eyes that said, “I’m still the Greatest of All Time.”

 

Being 1 of 3 athletes featured in the book, Great Hearts: Heroes of Special Olympics

When I came back from the World Games in Ireland in 2003, Scott Weaver, the CEO of Special Olympics, called and asked me if I would like to do an interview for a book about Special Olympics. She interviewed 3 of us about our experiences with Special Olympics. I just think it feels cool to be in a book. Especially a book about something I love being a part of.

 

Golfing in the first U.S. National Games with my Unified partner, Rick Stonich

In 2006, I attended the first U.S National Summer Games in Aimes, Iowa. I competed in Unified golf with my Unified partner Rick Stonich. It was fun to compete with other athletes from different states. We won a gold medal! Rick has been my Unified partner for more than 25 years. He is more than a partner, he’s family and I’m glad I got to have this experience with him.

 

Sharing my story in an I Am an Athlete video

 

I feel proud of who I am, and I feel proud to share how important Special Olympics Colorado has been throughout my life. Check out my I Am an Athlete episode here.

 

Attending the Celebration of Life ceremony for one of my best Special Olympics friends ever Tim Sharpe

While it’s not my favorite memory, attending Tim’s Celebration of Life is a cherished memory.

I don’t remember when or how we became such good friends. We didn’t get to see one another very often; we lived a lot of miles apart.

When we got to share time together it was like magic, like we were best friends every day, never missing a beat. There was always joy in swapping stories or making plans for something we would like to do in the future.

Tim is and always will be part of my life. I still talk to Tim in heaven, he’s just a little farther away but never forgotten.

Life is short and time slips away faster than we think. If you have the choice, make time to share it with your family and friends.

 

Being 1 of 8 athletes selected for the first North America Storytelling training.

As a younger person growing up and be asked the “Question” what do you want to be when you grow up? My dream was to become a journalist, a photojournalist. To take pictures and write stories about them.

Growing up my dreams were crushed but they never disappeared. There was never any kind of support to make those dreams come true… until now a lot of years later but never too late.

In 2023, I was selected to join the Special Olympics North America Storytelling Training. I learned the skills to write a story. Now I am living my dream writing stories for Special Olympics Colorado with tons of support.

One of the most important things I have learned from Special Olympics… Never Give Up!