After Conquering Sharks, a Confident Passero Heads to USA Games
By Randy Robertson, NYC & Hudson Valley Regional Storyteller
There were more than a dozen sharks in the water when Matthew Passero jumped in and started swimming. On a family trip to the Bahamas four years ago, Matthew and his parents saw sharks’ fins all around, and still they courageously entered the waters to enjoy a “swim with the sharks” experience.
“I just told myself to be brave,” recalled Matthew, a Special Olympics athlete who knows a thing or two about being brave. After all, the Special Olympics athlete oath is Let me win but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.
Swimming with actual live sharks in ocean waters would test anyone’s bravery, but to Matthew, 37, it was a little scary but also exciting to achieve this goal. Matthew, who lives in Yonkers, has been challenging himself a lot lately and rising to the occasion.
At the Special Olympics State Games in 2024, Matthew performed so well in the shot put that he was selected to participate in the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota from June 20-26, 2026. Matthew will compete in the shot put, the javelin and the 50 meters race at the USA Games. While he’s more than competent at all three sports, his parents and coach agree that shot put is his greatest talent.
“He has the technique down very well,” said Raymond Passero, Matthew’s father. “Others would try and throw it like a softball, but Matthew knows how to do it correctly. He has the technique down it’s just a matter of improving his distance.”
Matthew’s coach Nancy Bellini is the Program Director at the North East Westchester Special Recreation Center in Hawthorne. In her high school days, Nancy played practically every sport but really shined in one especially: the shot put. Now she’s finding tremendous joy in helping Matthew perfect his technique and improve.
“He’s an easy-going, kind, and sweet guy,” Nancy said of Matthew. “He puts so much effort into practice and he really listens. When you explain something to him, he listens and practices to get better.”
Matthew’s mother Connie said it’s not just by chance that Matthew got so good at the shot put. He really spends a lot of time working on it at home.
“He practices in the backyard every day!” Connie said. “We also practice with Nancy every week too.”
Coach Nancy said there are approximately 36 athletes and 10 coaches who meet weekly at the Mount Kisco Boys and Girls Club. The athletes have many different talents and sports that they are working on, including Matthew. It’s the shot put where he really stands out.
According to Coach Nancy, many athletes make the mistake of trying to throw the 8-pound, 8-ounce ball with just their hands. Some might even try to use their chest and shoulders, but that’s limiting their performance she said.
“To be successful at the shot put you really need to use your hips and legs,” Coach Nancy said. “That’s where the power comes from. The arms are for direction. Matthew has strength in a lot of areas. He has physical strength, and an ability to follow instructions.”
On a recent morning in Hawthorne, Matthew took some time to demonstrate his technique. Matthew has good size, he’s 5-foot-11 with a solid, sturdy build. He’s got very short dark hair, and he holds the ball just under his jawline, closer to his ear than to his chin. He rocks backward once, twice and then with a quick whirl he thrusts his hips outward and lets the ball fly. He regularly throws it 25 feet or more.
Matthew earned a silver medal in the shot put at the Hudson Valley Spring Games at West Point recently. He said he’s healthy and feeling good heading into the culmination of the season, first the New York State Games in Utica in early June and then the USA Games in Minnesota.
The USA Games will be an amazing high point for Matthew after 25 years of participation in the Special Olympics. He will travel with the other athletes in the New York state delegation, flying from Albany to Minneapolis just before the games. Raymond and Connie will attend as well, flying separately with eager anticipation for how their son will do. Only then will the realization sink in that he has reached this incredible level.
“When he was selected for the USA Games, I was reading the letter and couldn’t believe what I was reading,” Connie recalled. “I’m just so proud of him.”
“I’m over the moon,” Raymond added.
Raymond, Connie and Coach Nancy all expressed total confidence in Matthew’s ability to handle not only the competition, but also the travel and the level of independence and reliability required of athletes traveling to the USA Games.
His parents noted that Matthew is always the first one packed and ready to go anywhere. He’s punctual and follows the rules. At one time Matthew participated in the BOCES Center for Special Services at Irvington High School, and the discipline and confidence he learned during that time carried over long after his school days ended.
The discipline helped Matthew master the shot put and earn a spot at the Special Olympics USA Games. That confidence helped him muster enough bravery to navigate other challenges in life, such as singing the national anthem with his music club at a New York Liberty WNBA basketball game or swimming in the ocean knowing full well there were sharks all around.
Matthew enjoys a good challenge, and his parents are adventurous enough to keep providing new opportunities for their talented son.
“We never want to hold him back,” Connie said. “We travel, we go on vacations, the three of us. We always want him to have everything any other teenage boy or young man would experience.”
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