ICOACHKIDS Champion: Tim McDonald
About
Tim McDonald is a coach at Special Olympics Illinois, USA. He has been an adapted physical education teacher in Oak Park, Illinois, from 2010 through the present and a Special Olympics coach from 2011 through the present. He has two daughters, 6 and 9 years old, who love sports! He has loved being active his whole life. Growing up, his main sports were soccer and pole vaulting in track, which he did through college. I also played a lot of baseball and basketball. He got into triathlons in his late 20's and early 30's. His current hobbies include golf, disc golf, pickleball, ping pong, pool, darts and anything that his daughters are doing!
How I got into coaching:
I started out as an accountant for two and a half years out of college. Best decision that I ever made was going back to school to become an adapted physical education teacher! I was a camp counselor at a camp for people with disabilities while I was still in teacher training school. It was at this camp that I had my first experience coaching Special Olympics. This experience was so impactful for me seeing students show off their strengths and ability levels on the soccer field in a competitive environment. I then became an adapted physical education teacher in Oak Park, Illinois, where I still teach today. Our district never had Special Olympics of any kind when I started teaching. I started bocce ball, then continued to add sports as the years went on, including basketball, track, artistic gymnastics (i.e. bar, beam, vault, etc) and rhythmic gymnastics (i.e. dance routines - ribbon, hoop, club,etc.). We now offer all of those sports from kindergarten through 8th graders on unified teams, which include athletes with and without disabilities. Our Young Athletes program includes pre-schoolers from around my district as well, so every student in the district, from pre-k through 8th grade, has an opportunity to be on one of our Special Olympics teams!
Why I'm passionate about putting kids first in sports:
Sports empower my athletes! When my students arrive at our practices after school, their energy and excitement is infectious! I realize that I am only with my athletes for a small portion of their day, so I want it to be memorable and fun for all. When my students arrive, there are smiles, fist bumps and stories shared to catch up with each other. My goal is to support my athletes by developing a lifelong passion for sports!
Tim’s Tips for coaches in youth sports:
Enjoy every moment coaching your athletes!
My biggest advice to new coaches - Start out small, but don't be scared to go big! If you have a great idea, pursue it! I was nervous about starting up Special Olympics in our district 14 years ago. I started out with one sport, bocce ball, and slowly added more sports and events over the years. An example about going big - A few years ago I had an idea to create a community event where Oak Park's fire department played a basketball game against the police department, while playing alongside our Special Olympics athletes. There were 40 total players and a few hundred in the stands cheering the players on! To say that I was a bit nervous to set up this large event was an understatement! The event was a blast and included some fun surprises (i.e. audience choosing players to participate while wearing superhero costumes, tutus, etc.).
Surround yourself with other amazing coaches. We have 45 coaches who are involved in Oak Park Special Olympics throughout the year in my district who are the best! Having coaches who share a similar passion as me creates an electrifying atmosphere at our practices that the athletes feed off of!
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