March 11, 2009
Once a month several Lobo student-athletes gather in the Colleen J. Maloof Administration Building to talk about a wide range of topics. Classes, registration and time management are just a few things this group, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), will discuss on a regular basis.
On Tuesday night, March 10, the group had a guest speaker. Phil With, a Global Messenger with the Special Olympics had the floor. Phil, whose brother, Jerry, played tennis for the Lobos, may have been the most accomplished athlete in the room. Having earned a gold medal in golf in the World Special Olympics is just one of the many achievements for Phil. The venue for his medal-winning performance was Ireland no less! As the members of SAAC listened to Phil, most knew his greatest accomplishment is now serving as a spokesperson for Special Olympics.
Phil continued to outline how much the Special Olympics means to him. It means a lot to the Lobos as well. Recently, the New Mexico Athletics Department announced that the Special Olympics would be the charitable partner for the Lobos. Many new initiatives from the Lobos will include Special Olympics events, potentially including “play-days”, clinics and statewide tours.
The student-athletes, coaches and staff will continue to be involved in a vast array of charities and community organizations, but when you hear a guy as persuasive as Phil, who can say no?
Global Messengers are Special Olympics athletes who help spread the message and vision of the movement as well as the benefits they have gained by participating in Special Olympics. As leaders and message-bearers of the movement, Global Messengers communicate the powerful declarations of hope, acceptance, dignity and courage of Special Olympics athletes around the world. Only athletes can effectively relate the impact that the movement has had on their lives and the lives of their families.
For more information about Special Olympics New Mexico, click here.