Downstate Athlete Leadership Council Members Become Storytellers

By Kayleigh Milton and Randy Robertson, Long Island and NYC Region Storytellers

New York, NY – Many of the talented athletes of Special Olympics New York now have experience answering questions about their performances on the playing fields. Some have even written about themselves.

Last month, members of the Downstate Athlete Leadership Council (ALC) took their communication skills to a new level as they learned to interview their fellow athletes. Through this storytelling training, athletes stepped into the role of interviewer and discovered the importance of learning more about their fellow athletes and the Special Olympics New York Community. Shifting their focus from talking about themselves to highlighting the experiences of others was an exciting challenge. More often than not, this training exercise helped ALC members build both their confidence and their communication skills.

“What do you wish more people knew about disabilities?” Lisa Diana of Cross Island Superstorms asked teammate Kimberly Lothien.

“I wish more people would know that there are all different kinds of disabilities,” Kimberly responded.

Lisa then asked, “If someone asked you why they should become a Special Olympics athlete, what would you tell them?”

Without hesitation, Kimberly replied, “You can meet friends and can learn how to do different sports.”

This exchange is just one example of the thoughtful conversations ALC members had as they practiced interviewing fellow athletes.

Another meaningful conversation came when Trent Hampton asked teammate TJ Timmons about his long-term goals.

“My long-term goals are to continue to stay healthy and fit, stay involved with Special Olympics, and qualify for National and World Games,” TJ said.

Yasmin Isenberg also asked teammate Lena Franklin, “What would you like people to know about Special Olympics?”

“That it’s a great organization for people with special needs who love to compete in different types of sports and meet new people so they can enjoy each other’s company,” Lena responded.

Starting with a prepared list of questions and allowing the athletes to improvise created engaging conversations and was a successful outcome of this valuable training exercise.

Also participating in the storytelling training were Brian Meister, Conrad Chiang, and Daniel Block. The ALC members look forward to putting their growing communication skills into practice throughout the upcoming Special Olympics New York season.

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