Go for the gold
These Texas athletes and coaches are participating in the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games
The Head Coach of the Texas Special Olympics Sailing team holding a #CHEER4USA sign
And they're off! The Special Olympics World Games Berlin kicked off this past weekend, and several world class athletes plus coaches from Texas are involved as participants.
And the games aren't over yet — so let's meet our local competitors, shall we? First off is Allison Dohrman of College Station, competing in the cycling category. Dohrman has competed in the Special Olympics for an incredible 13 years and counting. In addition to her incredible athletic prowess competing in bowling, bocce, and now cycling, Dohrman also manages to find enough time to work hard as a server at her local Texas Roadhouse.
Joining Dohrman as a fellow Texas athlete is Tyler Dodson, who hails from Desoto. The silver medal-winning sailor (he won at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi back in 2019) is back this year competing in the same sport. He had also represented Texas at the Special Olympics USA Games the year prior, winning the gold medal in stand-up paddleboard.
Davy Holak joins Dohrman and Dodson as a Special Olympics unified partner. At 69 years old, Holak has been training diligently in golf (a sport relatively new to the Special Olympics veteran), in order to best represent Special Olympics USA at the Berlin World Games in the sport.
Speaking of golf, we have Holak's fellow Special Olympics veteran Kevin Harrell also competing in the sport. Harrell has been competing in the Special Olympics in some capacity since he was only 8 years old. Although Harrell has previously competed in sports like basketball, bowling, bocce, and softball, golf is his favorite sport to play, per the athlete himself.
Joining the three Texas-based athletes are two Texas-based coaches and one more unified athlete: Houston's resident Special Olympics sailing head coach Jack Yoe;, Robert 'Bobby' Westlake of Midlothian, competing as a unified athlete in sailing; and finally, San Antonio's own Special Olympics kayaking head coach, Teresa Sullivan.
The Special Olympics World Games Berlin are ongoing until Sunday, June 25. You can support our local Texas athletes by following along on their progress via the official Special Olympics World Games Berlin website.
Because even if they don't win gold, they're all winners in our book.
