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Special Olympics Philippines head coach Kaye Samson, 27, laughed as she confessed that as a teenager, when she saw the movie Rain Man, she was fascinated by the portrayal of the character with intellectual disability, and she knew then that it was her calling. “Working with people with intellectual disabilities became my mission and I was passionate about it.” She followed through with it and became a special education teacher.
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Special Olympics Philippines head coach Kaye Samson and her badminton team. From left: Carmelo Sebastian San Diego, 14; Delmer Tawatao, 30; Angelica Manzanares, 22; and Rosalie Silvestre, 26.
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She got involved with Special Olympics four years ago and has become a powerhouse for the organization. As head coach of the country's first World Games badminton team, she had to learn the sport and with characteristic determination set about to teach herself and her four-member team everything they needed to know. To get proficient, they trained every day for nine months, from 6-9 a.m. before school started. Samson had to get up even earlier to prepare and bring breakfast and snacks for the team.
She related that one of her players was so poor that on a Monday during practice, she stopped in the middle of the session because her stomach hurt. The young woman had not eaten since the team's breakfast the Friday before. “This player was so thrilled to be on the team, she never missed one practice, even when she was tired, sick or hungry, Samson marveled.
Although Samson never mastered any one sport, she had high hopes. “I dreamed of being in the Olympics when I was a small girl,” she said. Her love of sports has been fully realized in Special Olympics. “For me, Special Olympics is God's gift, and it's a much better blessing to be able to help others reach their dreams,” she remarked.
Samson says emphatically Special Olympics makes a difference in the lives of athletes. “It teaches them discipline and confidence.” She said parents were surprised that their children jumped out of bed before dawn without help to ensure they got themselves to practice on time. “I constantly visit schools and urge them to have their students join Special Olympics.”
An added benefit to Special Olympics for one of her players is Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®. The athlete is 70 percent deaf, and at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Ireland, he got a hearing aid and was finally able to hear. “It changed his whole personality. He couldn't stop smiling. He could finally talk to his friends. Most importantly, he could hear what his coach was telling him!”
Samson has spent some of her own money to help get the team to World Games, and then rounded up sponsors to cover the rest of the expenses.
When you are good at what you do, you're often singled out to do even more. Samson's next challenge is to pilot the movement's Young Athletes initiative for 2-7 year olds in the Philippines.
If you want to measure passion and commitment, Kaye Samson's life pretty well sums it up.
By Kathy Smallwood
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