SOMO News

All of the coaches below were recognized for their outstanding contributions to Special Olympics Missouri from their respective areas at the SOMO Annual Awards Luncheon Jan. 17 in Branson. Each year, Special Olympics Missouri salutes those who have made significant contributions to the Special Olympics movement. Each area nominee is submitted for statewide recognition, and the overall winners were also announced at the SOMO Leadership Conference.

Mandie Bowman — North Area
Mandie Bowman was an assistant coach for many years and now has progressed to be the liaison for all the schools within the St. Joseph School District. Mandie is one of the most energetic coaches as she has taken her coaching responsibilities a step further by setting up Fan Clubs. She is the voice in the St. Joseph School District when it is budget time, and she helps by recruiting volunteers for YAP. She helps utilize the school district and the facilities more than the North Area program has ever done in the past. Without Mandie’s help, we would not be utilizing the SJSD and the facilities as we are today. Mandie was instrumental in starting the T.U.F. Club at Truman Middle School, which stands for Truman United Fans. They hold pep rallies prior to events, decorate the athletes’ lockers, help with fundraisers, become Unified Partners and have volunteered at local and area events.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmrGpO9yDRY&w=560&h=315]

Keith Patterson — Southwest Area
Keith Patterson has been a coach for more than 10 years. He coaches bowling, basketball and athletics for the Neosho School District. Besides being a volunteer coach, he is also a Unified Partner and volunteer official. Keith has been known to do all three in one day if he is needed. He loves watching his athletes fill with joy as they receive their medals. He always has a smile on his face and positive words to say. He continues to grow the school’s Unified Sports program every year. Over the past few years, Keith has done an outstanding job helping with the area basketball tournament. He gets the gym space, officials and volunteers. He has also taken it upon himself to get shirts for every athlete who attends. Last summer, Keith coached the Team Missouri women’s basketball team at the USA Games in New Jersey. He worked hard to unite athletes from across the state to play as a team; and as a team they proudly brought home the silver medal. Keith is also very involved in the local Polar Plunge.

Jeff Partridge — Southeast Area
Jeff Partridge first realized how important Special Olympics is when his son Ryan became involved in the program. He began by helping the Rebels team with basketball, eventually becoming their head coach. Basketball led into softball and softball led into bowling. Jeff has a real desire to see his team improve and excel. With Jeff, there is no off-season. He is a true leader and friend to his athletes. They all look up to him and work hard on and off the court to be the best they can be for him. Jeff is the Chief Engagement Officer of the YMCA of Southeast Missouri. This is a wonderful facility in the Southeast Area and Jeff invites our teams in to practice or work out for whatever season they are preparing for. Jeff has also become instrumental in assisting us with the Young Athletes Program.

Sheri Morris — St. Louis Metro Area
As a physical therapist at St. Charles Habilitation Center, Sheri Morris directly sees the social and physical benefits that Special Olympics offers her clients and is constantly pushing them to be involved in as much as possible. She escorts athletes to Blues and Rams games with tickets that have been donated to SOMO, she is at every weekend Field Day that her athletes might enjoy, and she makes sure athletes and staff are at every program event possible. Some of Sheri’s clients participate in aquatics with another coach and she’s always there cheering on her friends, even though she is not coaching them!

Dee Peterson — Central Area
When Dee Peterson first started with Special Olympics, she was a special education teacher and wanted a chance for her students to participate. Time went on and Dee moved to a “regular” education classroom, but not giving up her love for her former students and Special Olympics, she stayed on as the coach for Laquey Schools. Previously, Laquey athletes only competed in the area bowling tournament and the Area Spring Games. Wanting to give them a chance to experience something new, she asked for them to compete in the state bowling tournament. With her help, the Buckhorn Local Bowl was born. What went from a little local bowl has now evolved into a Unified Team Local Bowl! Later, she was interested in basketball, so the Unified 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament was born! In mid-March, small schools from the area put together Unified 3-on-3 teams and come over to Laquey Middle School to compete against each other.

Venessa McCloud — KC Metro Area
Venessa McCloud began volunteering for Special Olympics winter sports in 1989 while working at Snow Creek in Weston. Moving to Platte County Board of Services (PCBS) in 1992, she saw the need to provide the full range of recreational and athletic opportunities to those who predominantly live in group homes. Twenty-five years later, Venessa is the glue that holds the PCBS Special Olympics program together. She has been instrumental in the development of the SOMO program for PCBS, putting in the extra time and effort required. She is fully qualified as a head coach for basketball, track and field, bowling, golf, swimming, skiing, bocce and snowshoe racing. As a qualified CPR and First Aid instructor, Venessa ensures all coaches and volunteers meet the medical training required to participate in SOMO sports. She has actively recruited, trained and mentored the athletes, parents, volunteers and other coaches in an exceptionally run SOMO program that successfully meets the needs of more than 60 PCBS athletes year-round.