Special Olympics coach wins Positive Influence award
Paddy Cahill and his daughter Gloria accepting his award from Special Olympics Ireland
A VOLUNTEER with Carlow Special Olympics Club has been praising the value volunteering can bring.
“Once you go to one training session or event, you just get hooked because you can’t go to one and not have fun,” said Paddy Cahill, who coaches the local branch’s soccer team.
Paddy spoke to following a recent awards ceremony, where he was presented with a Positive Influence award by Special Olympics Ireland.
“The athletes that I train nominated me for an award for being a positive influence. There are nominations from all over the country and they go to an independent judging panel,” explained Paddy.
He said he was shocked to receive the call from Special Olympics Ireland. “They got in touch with me to say I’d been nominated and they gave me some feedback on what the athletes had said and it was really heart-warming and lovely what they said about the impact I’ve had on them and how much they really value what I put in, really lovely words.” Paddy said there has been a lot of growth in the team. “We’ve had lots of success this year and it’s just snowballed. We have a team going out to Barcelona for an invitational competition on 17 October. The lads are buzzing. We started with eight or nine players, now we have over 21. The team is getting regular coaching. The guys that are playing are really enjoying it and they tell their friends, and now we have two teams in competitions. The focus is to enjoy every minute of it.
A humbled Paddy said he gets far more out of the volunteering experience than he puts in and urged anyone with time to spare to get involved.
“I really value the time I spend with the athletes,” he said. “The feedback reminds you that what you are doing and the time you put in matters to the team. It means a massive amount to the people who are turning up. If the award does anything, I’d like it to spread the word that we’re always looking for volunteers. We’re recruiting for soccer and basketball coaches, but if you don’t want to coach and can volunteer, then we’d love to have help. It’s really worthwhile and people should give it a go,” he said.
Contact the local Special Olympics branch at Carlowsprecialolympics@gmail.com for more information.
