Beyond the Finish Line: Inspiring Stories from Special Olympics Louisiana with Craig Oser

In this episode, we sit down with Craig Oser, Marketing Director for Special Olympics Louisiana, for an inspiring conversation about the organization’s mission and impact.  

Craig shares the exciting new vision for Special Olympics Louisiana, highlighting its commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion across all communities.  
We also explore:  

• The powerful story behind the Law Enforcement Torch Run  
• How you can get involved as a volunteer and make a difference  
• Upcoming fundraisers that support the incredible athletes  
• Heartwarming success stories of athletes who embody the spirit of Special Olympics  

Don’t miss this uplifting and informative episode about the transformative work happening at Special Olympics Louisiana! 

Listen now and be inspired.  

Transcript

Mary Baudoin (00:00):

Thank you for joining us today for this episode of This Ability Podcast. I'm your host, Mary Baudoin, and joining us today is Craig Oser, marketing and digital engagement director for the Special Olympics of Louisiana. Welcome to the show, Craig.

Craig Oser (00:15):

Hey, thanks for having me, Mary. I appreciate it very much.

Mary Baudoin (00:17):

So tell us a little bit about yourself.

Craig Oser (00:19):

Like you said, I'm the director of marketing digital engagement at Special Olympics Louisiana. Been in this role a little bit over the last three years or so, but I've been with the organization since 2012. Took a little break in between there for a little bit, but so my second stint with the organization. Worked with volunteers before and development stuff and now handling our marketing. So I handle our social media, website, anything kind of marketing related throughout the organization. Married with two kids. Really enjoy what I do here.

Mary Baudoin (00:44):

Thank you for giving us a little introduction into your life. I did a little research on the Special Olympics. It is an organization I'm pretty familiar with. I used to work at a resort and we would sponsor the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Central Louisiana and Special Olympics, although I've never attended a game, so I really need to go and check it out. But I did look up the vision statement of Special Olympics and it looks as though it does state that it wants to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion in all communities. So tell us a little bit more about how that is integrated into the events that you guys have.

Craig Oser (01:20):

Absolutely. We have a variety of events. A lot of people are shocked to know that in a normal year, and I've kind of dealt with COVID and whatnot, but we are back to normal now. We'll have over 70 events a year, competitions throughout the year. And that's area events, that's local events, that's state events, plus we have fundraisers and all that sort of stuff. So we do get everyone involved, the community involved for that.

(01:41):

The biggest thing, you can be a general volunteer. Volunteers come out day of the event. They'll be timers for the track meet. They'll keep score for softball games, anything like that. Just ask that you registered before. And we do put that information on our website and social media as well too.

(01:56):

The next big thing is a coach. Our coaches are the backbone of the organization. If we don't have coaches, we can't have our competition. Coaches do take on a little bit more responsibility than a general volunteer, but they're the ones with the athletes. They face the athletes daily and get them ready for competition.

(02:12):

And then the other one is our unified partner, people without intellectual disabilities. And I guess I should have kind of stepped back a little bit. Special Olympics Louisiana is for people with intellectual disabilities, not physical disabilities. Now, that's not to say if they have a physical disability, they can't participate with us, but they do have to have that intellectual disability first.

(02:28):

So the unified partners are people without intellectual disabilities. They actually play on the same team as our athletes. We have unified basketball, softball, flag football, all that sort of stuff. And even swimming and track as well too. So they take part with our athletes on the field of play. With that, they have that interaction. So they do go through some more trainings. And unified partner and a coach, a general volunteer. So yes, trying to get everyone involved on the same field and working together is pretty paramount of what we do.

Mary Baudoin (02:56):

And for those of you listening, I did look up, the website which has a lot of information on it. It's specialolympicsla.org, that's specialolympicsla.org because of course they are a non-profit organization. And there's a lot of resources there for people if they want to volunteer, if they want to learn more about coaching or being a unified partner. Some very good things on there. And I know you guys are on social media too, I'm sure you have a Facebook, Instagram, all of that. So if somebody wants to follow you, is it listed under Special Olympics Louisiana?

Craig Oser (03:28):

Yes.

Mary Baudoin (03:28):

I know there's a lot in the nation.

Craig Oser (03:30):

State has their own program. So we are Special Olympics Louisiana. So yes, if you search on Facebook or Instagram, we're at Special Olympics Louisiana. Twitter or X guess now is @soLouisiana, so that's a little bit different. But yeah, if you start Special Olympics Louisiana, we should pop up. We are doing a lot of more videos throughout the past few months and things like that. We're really introducing you more to our athletes and what they can do and what they are doing. So if you want to get inspired, check out our social media. We have a lot of good stuff there, and as far as our website as well too. So I appreciate you mentioning that as well,

Mary Baudoin (03:59):

And I know, Special Olympics Louisiana, you have participants coming in from all over different regions of the state?

Craig Oser (04:05):

Every parish pretty much. We have nine regions throughout that week kind of broken the state up. Our athletes compete at the local level first, so their area programs and then their local programs then to area events. And then from area events they can go to state events, which we have different events and those are listed on our website as well too. And then from state events, they can qualify every four years for USA games, which actually takes place in 2026 again.

(04:27):

And then there are all world games from there too, that Special Olympics International puts on. So we have certain quotas that we receive for those events and then we can select the teams or, well you qualify at the state event to be able to go to those events from there. So a lot of people can go, it's just a one-time event type thing.

(04:43):

We have things going on all year long. Plus there is advancement opportunities for our athletes. But a lot of times with these bigger events for USA Games and World Games, a lot of our athletes have never traveled before. This is their first opportunity to get on a plane and go do things. I've actually got to be part of two of those, in 2014 we went to New Jersey and then 2022 we went to Orlando. And there's one in between, but I wasn't here for.

(05:03):

It is the longest week ever because there's not a lot of sleep. But it is so much fun. You see athletes compete on a scale that you've never seen before, and they're so excited to be there. They're so excited to be competing. There's new people that they're meeting and different things like that. So it's absolutely wonderful to see something like that.

Mary Baudoin (05:20):

I mean that sounds great. The games alone can be fun. Much less traveling to a new city and a new area that can be just the vacation of a lifetime really.

Craig Oser (05:30):

There's times for fun, but the athletes, they know they're there to compete. They want to win gold, they want to be their best. So it's a great thing and it's a really fun time. So yeah, 2026 is our next one for USA Games and that'll be in Minnesota, but it'll be here before you know it.

Mary Baudoin (05:48):

Absolutely it will. Time flies. One of the things I was looking up is the different competitions that Special Olympics offers and they have everything swimming to softball, bowling, basketball, powerlifting, and a lot more. So I wanted to ask if anyone's listening and they're interested in being an athlete for the Special Olympics, how do they obtain eligibility or enter a competition? How do they go about doing that?

Craig Oser (06:14):

So the first thing for any new athlete, go to our website, specialolympicsla.org as you have mentioned, and click on right at the top of the page, "Become an Athlete." It'll take you through some steps. There's some certain paperwork that you need to fill out. We call it our medical. So there's certain things that you have to do.

(06:29):

Once all that paperwork's filled out, you'll essentially join a team. So let's just say, and you guys are in the Acadiana area, we have a really good strong program out there that's a bunch of different what we call local training programs. One of them is DC's Pride, so if they're in that locale for that, that local program leader would contact that athlete once we have all the paperwork and see what they're interested in. Softball, if it's swimming know horseshoes or anything. And then they would work on a plan or put them with a coach. They don't ever have a coach and they would start practicing.

(06:55):

Just like any sport we have seasons. So right now our next event is swimming, which is in September, our state event. So usually training programs start eight weeks out from the competition. So those will be getting kicking off here pretty soon. Just say an athlete wants to get involved in swimming, they fill out their medical, the local program leader would reach out to them, pair them with a coach, and then they would start training for that competition. They'd go into the area competition first and then from there would qualify to go to state competition

Mary Baudoin (07:21):

In addition to the sports programs, Special Olympics Louisiana offers youth leadership programs and school engagement. So tell us a little bit more about those.

Craig Oser (07:30):

I'll start with the school. It's UCS or Unified Champion Schools, Unified Champion Schools. And this program has had a few different names over the years, but it's all essentially a thing. And what it is we go into the school, I mean we're actually in over 300 schools throughout Louisiana right now. And we work with athletes, Special Olympics athletes and people without intellectual disabilities. So those unified partners. And kind of get them on the same page. There's three tiers to it.

(07:53):

Unified Sport, which is one of them, which means, and those athletes are with and without intellectual disabilities playing on the same field. Youth leadership, which is where those leaders in the school would plan different activities, but they plan different inclusive activities because the last one is whole school engagement and that's where you get the whole school involved, like a pep rally. Our state summer games, which is our largest event of the year, takes place in May.

(08:15):

These youth leaders at that school would essentially get together and say, "Hey, we're going to do a pep rally for all the Special Olympics athletes that are going to this event." And the whole school is there, everyone knows what's going on, they're cheering on athletes and it's a great time.

(08:27):

We have many different things. Our sports will always be at our core, where we were founded and what we do. But we have the school programs and we also have health programs too. We have a program called Healthy Athlete and there's eight different disciplines, podiatry, dental, mental health, among different things. And that's all listed on our website as well too. And it's all free. None of this is at any cost to our athletes or our family, anything like that.

(08:50):

Even USA Games and we kind of talked about that. That's no cost to the athlete. We cover a 100% of that through fundraising, through fundraisers and that sort of thing as well, and donors. We are more than sports. Sports is at our core, but we do have so much more that we offer as well too.

Mary Baudoin (09:07):

I think that's a great point that you bring up because I wasn't aware of the other programs that you guys offer.

Craig Oser (09:11):

It's funny because a lot of people, Special Olympics has been around, I think this year is 56 years, and people still think we're one event a year track meet, That's all we do. And there's so much more to it. So I would implore your audience, check out our website, see what we have out there.

Mary Baudoin (09:25):

I looked at the Special Olympics main website and athletes who are artists who have designed these T-shirts and they have a whole collection.

Craig Oser (09:34):

Absolutely. Glad you mentioned that.

Mary Baudoin (09:35):

Tell us more about the Torch Run.

Craig Oser (09:37):

Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest grassroots fundraiser for Special Olympics and has been so for a number of years. It was started in Kansas, I think this year is 40 years ago. And there was a chief police there that just decided that he wanted to do something and wanted to get his officers involved. And so the Torch Run officers, it's a fundraiser, so they register to run a leg of the Torch Run. Part of it.

(09:59):

They run all throughout the state, the week of state summer games, culminating at opening ceremonies at state summer games, which we have been hosting at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond for the last 20 or so years. And they do cover the cruiser whether they get people you pay you a dollar or two to sign and put stuff on the police cruiser and that sort of things like that.

(10:17):

So there's so much stuff that they do and we really appreciate all of our law enforcement doing different things. And in your area specifically, there's a couple of agencies that work Camp Shriver out there each summer or had the last few years. And they love interacting with the athlete and they do a lot for us as well.

Mary Baudoin (10:32):

We have just a few minutes left. Did want to ask you about success stories. Who stands out to you? If you could narrow it to one or even two people? There's probably a whole list of people you could name. Someone that really stands out to you.

Craig Oser (10:45):

Yeah, there's a lot. Any given time, we hear stories about athletes and overcoming obstacles and because of Special Olympics. There's an athlete, and I was thinking about this, actually one of the athletes we've been featuring this year on our social media is Tanner. He's out in the Lafayette area. We actually just posted something this week of Tanner talking about he played high school football. He was a shy kid and you'll hear his mom talks about it too, that he didn't really say much. He didn't really do much. And then he got involved with Special Olympics and it's all kind of changed.

(11:13):

He's made friends and he talks to them and he has meaning in his life. He holds a full-time job. He works a full-time job. It's stories like that make what I do worth it. And that's the biggest thing. It's hearing those stories day in and day out. And anybody that's been in nonprofit knows sometimes there's a grind, but hearing the stories and seeing our athletes succeed on and off the playing field. Tanner, he's a great athlete too. He did the pentathlon at our state summer games and did really well.

Mary Baudoin (11:39):

What is a pentathlon?

Craig Oser (11:40):

I knew you were going to ask that. And however many events it is, but they compete different types of events, so long jump, standing long jump, different things like that. Tanner, and there's another athlete, Kirby, who's another great athlete out in Lake Charles. And both of them are... It was great to see. I guess shameless plug here. If you go on our YouTube page, there's a recap video and you can see both of them talking and just how happy they are. They compete against each other, but they each want the other to do better. They raise each other up and it is just great to see.

Mary Baudoin (12:07):

I will definitely look up the video and I'll share it on our page. Our Facebook numbers keep growing. We're small but we're growing, especially the fact that Tanner's here from Lafayette and I might try to connect with his family too, get him on the show. Is there anything else that you'd like to talk about regarding Special Olympics that we haven't covered?

Craig Oser (12:24):

I would just encourage everyone, if you haven't come to one of our events to come out, even if you can't volunteer, even just to come be in the stands and watch the competition. It's fun. It's great to see the athletes and watch them compete. And of course if you want to volunteer, we'd love to have you. All of the volunteer information is on our website at specialolympicsla.org. There's a button towards the top to where you can just click on become a volunteer. It'll show you everything that you need to do, whether it's a general volunteer or a coach or something a little bit more.

(12:53):

I'd just encourage join us and see what we're all about. We are a non-profit. Support us. Donors are how we kind of get things done. Again, I'll tell you, our athletes are free of charge. We do not charge our athletes for anything. Whether it's going to USA Games in Minnesota in a couple of years, they do not get charged the pennies. We do rely on donors and things like that.

(13:11):

Last thing I'll mention, we do have an event in Lafayette. It's actually with Topgolf towards the end of September. It's called Unified for Joy. Topgolf has become an actual official sport through Special Olympics this year, and there'll be some law enforcement involved in here. And so all that is on our website and will be on our social media as we get a little bit closer as well too. So I encourage the Lafayette community to come out for that event. They got some different levels, especially businesses that want to get involved in it. We'd appreciate it. Everything is out there. I'll send you that link if you want so you can-

Mary Baudoin (13:38):

I would love to check it out and share it with our podcast listeners. Well, thank you so much. It's been a pleasure to meet you virtually. Thank you everyone for listening to this episode of This Ability Podcast. If you're enjoying our podcast, be sure to like our page on Facebook at This Ability Podcast or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Goodbye everyone, and thank you for listening.

(13:58):

(silence)