Special Olympics experience has made coach ‘a better person’

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This article was published 28/08/2017 (2973 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Melissa Diamond thinks back to her first day volunteering as a Special Olympics coach, it’s the acceptance she felt that most sticks out in her mind.

“The athletes welcomed me with open arms,” Diamond says. “After I left, I had 30 new best friends.”

At the time, the 36-year-old River Heights resident was studying kinesiology at the University of Winnipeg. She began volunteering with Special Olympics as part of the requirements for one of her courses.

“Everything about (Special Olympics) exemplified the purity of sport and everything I believe about sport, so I decided to stick with it as long as I could,” she says.

Ten years later, Diamond is still a coach with Special Olympics Manitoba, an organization that enriches the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through participation in sports.

Diamond is a coach with the North End Seals, who train at the North Centennial Recreation and Leisure Facility on Sinclair Street. Earlier this month, Diamond served as head coach for the Special Olympics swim team that competed in the 2017 Canada Summer Games.

“It was an unreal experience,” says Diamond, who works during the school year as a phys-ed teacher. “It gave me the opportunity to see all kinds of different athletes from across this country perform at their very best.”

Two of Diamond’s athletes earned gold medals. Still, it’s not the medals that matter most for Diamond; it’s seeing her athletes develop as people.

For Diamond, sports are not only about being physically active and developing skills, but about learning about one’s self and one’s capabilities while developing self-esteem and making friends.

That’s what Diamond saw exemplified the first day she coached, and it’s what keeps her going today. It’s also what Diamond has found to be true in her own development.

While she was always an active person growing up, getting involved in dancing and swimming, she was never considered to be an athlete in school. She was a bench warmer when she played basketball, and when she played softball, Diamond’s coach put her in the outfield, as far away from the action as possible.

Diamond’s growth as an athlete really began in 1998, when she took up Muay Thai kickboxing.

Since then, she has made it her mission to help people who wish to pursue a healthier and more active lifestyle reach their goals.

Diamond, who will serve as a coach at the 2018 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Antigonish, N.S., says the friendships she has formed are the best part of volunteering.

“I’ve met some really great people,” she says. “It’s just been a great learning experience. It’s made me a better person, coach and teacher.”

Special Olympics Manitoba is currently looking for volunteers to coach a variety of different sports. No coaching experience is necessary. Anyone interested can apply by visiting specialolympics.mb.ca.

“It’s a great way to spend an hour or two of your time each week,” Diamond says. “It’s a phenomenal organization.”

If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com.