All it Takes is an Extra Push

September 6, 2023

By Peter Bialkowski

Now that we are reaching the end of summer, fall is starting to approach. The weather is starting to change, kids are headed back to school, and bathing suits are being packed away. Something else that changes with the season is sports. The Mercer County Special Olympics - Area 11 has sports during every season for year-round training. They strive to give opportunities to athletes with intellectual disabilities and encourage them to do their best, while integrating good sportsmanship, sharing their skills with friends, and family, and enjoying being a part of a community.

Area 11 has over 300 athletes and year-round sports. As a Lawrenceville resident, Nader Shenouda has been a volunteer coach for the past eight years. His son was diagnosed with Autism in 2011, and he started to get involved with the organization. A few years later, he met Megan Lipski, another coach, and started volunteering “accidentally.”

“I just started to help out,” Nader says. “Megan asked me to keep coaching, and now I coach all the time.”

Nader coaches many sports, including basketball, bowling, and soccer, and later started powerlifting. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, you can find him in the fitness center working on powerlifting with his athletes. Although a rewarding experience, there are challenges the athletes face.

“One of our athletes was convinced she could not lift a certain weight,” he says. “So, we just didn’t tell her what the weight was for her final deadlift. When she asked, we told her it was 10 lbs lighter. She did it and said ‘That was easy.’”

Megan Lipski, a long-time coach, has a different story on how she got involved. She was a soccer coach for eleven years and was recommended by a friend to volunteer for the Special Olympics. With no experience in that field, Megan committed to coaching.

“I had never worked with special-needs kids,” she says. “I’m a firm believer that once you commit to something, you see it through.”

Megan works at NJM Insurance, which is a big supporter of The Special Olympics. She coaches year-round, including soccer, floor hockey, bowling, basketball, and softball.

Both Megan and Nader say the best part about coaching is seeing their athletes succeed. Other coaches, like Kristina Shaw, are also dedicated to helping their athletes achieve their goals.

“I love to see the athletes progress,” says Megan. “It’s really cool to see them transition. I try to teach them to have good sportsmanship - at the end of the day, that’s what matters.”

“It’s the realization of them seeing they can do something they thought they couldn't do,” Nader says. “It cheers you up.”

In any sport, healthy competition and good sportsmanship are always necessary. The Athletes Oath is super meaningful and brings out the best in the athletes.

“Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt,” the oath says.

This is precisely what the organization follows, and it believes that success is not measured by winning.

“I believe all it takes is that one extra push to succeed,” says Nader. “Someone told them once that they can’t. But they can.”

Parents, like Jen and Tom Nolte, are grateful for the involvement of Nader, Megan, and all of the Special Olympics coaches who have touched the lives of their children.

“When I think about Nader, Megan, and all the coaches, I think about connection and consistency,” Jen says. “They excuse cheerful optimism and they pass this on to their athletes. They are so dedicated, it’s hard to remember they are volunteers. Children throughout the community have thrived for years as a result of their commitment and hard work!”

The Special Olympics has major support from the community. Lawrence, and the towns surrounding, helped complete the first annual walk as an area. They have sponsors from Shoprite, Wawa, and The College of New Jersey, where the summer games are held. A fan-favorite event, the summer games is a weekend-long event where everyone in the state comes together. There are events, games, and fireworks to celebrate The Special Olympics.

Parents of the athletes are great volunteers, and they enjoy seeing their children succeed in something they thought they couldn’t do. With over 20,000 volunteers and 22,000 athletes in New Jersey, the Special Olympics is continually growing. Area 11 is always looking for volunteers, so visit sonj.com/find-local-program/mercer-county or email Area11Volunteers@sonj.org to find out how to get involved.

Originally published in Lawrence Neighbors magazine