swingingpasttheodds
By Maria Goddard
What most would consider disabilities
have proven to be nothing short of abilities
for this golf program.
Special Olympics Louisiana began
in 1968 with only 11 players. Now, it
welcomes a proud 14,235 athletes with
different disabilities playing sports that
often mimic the Olympics. It was not until
1994 that its golf program took the first
swing, and today, the golfers are at around
100 strong.
The golf program has changed
drastically over the years, lending itself to
new improvements along the way. It started
with a unified golf team and later added
traditional teams. Unified teams include
golfers with and without disabilities. To
those in close connection with the athletes,
their setbacks are hardly noticed.
“All our coaches look at their abilities
rather than their disabilities,” said Brock
Banos, director of sports and competition
of Special Olympics Louisiana. “From
there, they can gauge and put together
different practice habits and techniques to help them
learn.”
Either way, with or without a disability, the sport can
be difficult and requires plenty of time and dedication.
“It is a very challenging sport that you have to
practice every day to challenge yourself to get better. I
like it because I can play with my friends, my brother,
or my dad,” said 18-year-old Camrin Sandoz of New
Iberia, Louisiana. “I love to play golf and now live on
a golf course.”
His home and place of employment is the Squirrel
Run Golf Course, and he even has his own red golf
cart in honor of a team he loves, the Ragin Cajuns.
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“He is always eager to come to work,” said Kevin
Hebert, Squirrel Run manager. “The things he says
always make me smile, even if I’m having a not-sogreat day.”
He has practiced this sport for only two years
and has already been able to compete in the Special
Olympics State Golf Tournament twice and won
several awards.
“I don’t think of myself as having a disability,”
Sandoz said. “I don’t want others that see me that way
or treat me any different than they treat anyone else. We
all have our differences, but my disability doesn’t define
me, and my opportunities are unlimited.”
Two of these opportunities allowed him to shine.
He earned a silver medal his first year and a gold his
second time competing on the state level. In addition,
he was selected to play at the Quicken Loans National
Pro-Am tournament.
“My proudest moment was when I got to play
golf alongside Professional Golfer’s Association of
America’s Arjun Atwal in the Quicken Loans National
Pro-Am in the summer of 2015,” said Sandoz.
Sandoz’s golf program has about 20 unified teams
that start with 9 holes. Other teams play 18 holes if
they are more advanced.
“The part that inspires me the most is how our
athletes c