Matthew Freeman (left) and Special Olympics friends
Matthew Freeman has danced with a legend.
The Santa Cruz-area athlete has been involved with Special Olympics in California for more than 50 years and has compiled an incredible 456 medals. Yet his favorite memory isn’t from on the field or the court.
“I danced with Eunice Kennedy Shriver,” Matthew said, reminiscing about the time he met the Special Olympics founder. “I got to meet all the movie stars down there and I got to meet Eunice personally.”
Matthew is referring to the Special Olympics California Summer Games held at the UCLA campus in 1990, when Special Olympics Northern California and Special Olympics Southern California were still combined into one large chapter. Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver visited the Games and met a younger Matthew, who still cherishes the moment today.
More than 30 years later, Matthew has competed in eight different sports and also serves as a volunteer coach for Special Olympics. He participates in the Torch Run and recently became an Athlete Leader to help bring new athletes into the program. He says that Special Olympics has not only changed his life, but also the lives of his family, including his niece who became a Special Olympics coach.
Matthew’s Special Olympics journey has been packed full of memories and life lessons – and what’s most important to him is passing that knowledge on to younger athletes.
“I get to pass my experience on to new athletes,” he said. “That’s what ‘Special’ means to me.”