“They call me Coach.”
A love of sports and his team draws Jeff Setser to Special Olympics
“Jessie and I have loved being involved with children and adults with intellectual disabilities. We enjoy helping them grow and watching them succeed. I like to see their smiles as they play and make friends,” said Jeff.
“I played basketball in high school. I love sports. It keeps me in shape, and it’s always fun to watch the athletes play or win during Special Olympics events,” he added.
Playing Unified Sports
The Special Olympics Unified Sports® offers an opportunity for athletes with and without disabilities to play and train together. As a Unified partner, Jeff volunteers in volleyball and bowling.
“I play sports year-round,” he said. “Bowling is in the fall, basketball runs through fall and early spring, and volleyball is at the end of the summer. When one sport ends, another begins. Between work and sports, I’m always on the move.”
“Bowling with Unified partners helps the athletes with disabilities to learn more about the game and improve their skills. In the Unified Partner division, Jessie and I won first place,” he proudly added.
His bowling team is currently practicing for the 2023 State Summer Games in June at Indiana State University (ISU), Terre Haute. One of the largest Special Olympics events in Indiana, Jeff describes the Summer Games as an exciting and motivating experience with the coliseum completely full of teams from Indiana and surrounding states. The bowling tournament is held at Terre Haute Bowl.
Coaching and building friendships
For Jeff, volunteering as a coach for basketball in Special Olympics isn’t just about the game. It’s about relationship building. To the youth on his team and their parents, too, Jeff is simply known as “Coach.” He coaches 3-on-3 basketball for youth 8 to 15 years of age. This year, his team will go to the state tournament in the spring at ISU, Terre Haute. He’s proud of the dedication of his team and loves the friendships he has made with the team members and families. He recalls the close-knit bonds of the team members.
“Yeah, my nickname for one of the players was Ryan “Three-Pointer” Jones. Every time he would see me, he would give me a big smile.”
When he sees his team members around Bloomington in the off season, he said, “They are so happy to see me and ask, ‘When are we playing basketball?’ I say, ‘When the season starts again!’”
Jeff hopes to continue coaching and watching his team grow and have fun. He dreams of one day building his team to 5-on-5 on the courts.
A winning attitude
Jeff coaches two teams of youths with three players on each team. The teams play 3-on-3 basketball on the courts. The season runs from November to March. During the season, the team will play in two tournaments around Indiana, ultimately leading to the final basketball state tournament. The team practices for an hour each week at a Bloomington elementary school. Jeff’s focus is on motivation and familiarizing the team with the game by doing warm-ups, basketball drills, and practicing shooting and dribbling. Jeff admires his team’s commitment to practice and competing. Each team member has their own learning curve. He works with them individually and collectively, showing them how to shoot and pass.
“When any of my team members get discouraged,” said Jeff. “I always tell them to keep on trying. I’m very positive. I say ‘You gotta keep on practicing!’”
For more stories
Click the images below to check out other featured stories on the Life@Cook blog!
This is an awesome read, thank you for the inspiration and dedication to your community
Jeff, what a fantastic way to give back to your community while also doing those active things that you love to do. Thanks for sharing your way.
It’s admirable how you choose to spend your discretionary time, “Coach.” Hope you get to your dream of a 5-on-5 team. Thanks for sharing and for coaching.
As the parent of a special needs child, it’s good to see stories like this!
Great story thank you for sharing 🙂
Love this story; It’s very inspiring to be more involved in my local community after reading this feature. It goes beyond coaching your own kid’s teams… Thank you for sharing your experience with us!
ur welcome