Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

December 1, 2010, Front Page

Transcribed by Dolores Mohr Kenyon

Special Olympics a great experience for Meurett

Steve Meurett

Neillsville School District art instructor Steve Meurett has a desk piled with information he’ll need for the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, but as the athletics head coach he’s looking forward to continued work and upcoming challenges.

Washington, D. C. – based Special Olympics International (SOI) recently named Meurett Team USA Head Athletics (track and field) coach for the 13^th 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece to be held June 25 through July 4, 2011.

Meurett has come a long way from where he started to now become the head coach, but he feels he’s up to the challenge and plans to use the experience he’s gained from 20 years working with Special Olympics.

Meurett began coaching Neillsville High School track in 1983 and began working as a Special Olympics track volunteer in 1990 after Neillsville School District special education instructor and Special Olympics volunteer Dean Glaze talked him into it.

In 2000, Glaze suggested Meurett apply for the Pre-World Games. After Meurett was accepted as a snowshoe coach, he helped with his first world games, the 2001 Winter World Games in Anchorage, AK.

At the event, Meurett discovered how much he enjoyed the World Games.  “I really liked that level of competition,” said Meurett.

In 2003, Meurett coached the half-marathon in the Summer World Games in Dublin, Ireland, as a regional head coach and served with the Area Management Team for the State Winter Games in Wausau.  He also coached Special Olympics state track and winter games events.

Meurett was then a cross-country ski coach for the 2005 World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, and at the 2009 World Winter Games in Boise, ID.

After gaining experience from other coaches, Meurett felt he was ready to apply for a head coaching position for the 2011 summer games.  After being selected as the head athletics coach, Meurett began to deal with that messy office desk by selecting assistant coaches and learning about the athletes.

As head coach, Meurett admitted he was “A little intimidated” and stated “It’s a big job.”

“[Being head coach] really is a huge honor,” stated Glaze, who has worked with Meurett in Special Olympics for 20 years.  “Steve’s got a great background in track and field.”

However, Meurett stated a Special Olympics sports manager reemphasized he was ready for this task and helped Meurett feel comfortable about the head coaching job.

Of the 12 coaches selected, Meurett and two others call Wisconsin home, which he said is a bit unusual but explained the other Wisconsin coaches had ‘strong track backgrounds.”

Each coach will work with four athletes; Meurett, who will coach his fifth World Games, is currently designing a training program, including a nutrition program, for two athletes he’ll be working with.

Team USA includes athletes and coaches from all 50 states and 185 countries, including two athletes from Wisconsin – Rebecca Stelpflug of Menomonee Falls, competing in swimming, and Christopher Mark of Burlington, competing in track and field.  Team USA includes 49 track and field athletes.

As head coach, Meurett is responsible for training the Team USA track team and for communicating information updates to athletes, family members and local coaches.

Team USA coaches working under Meurett are also responsible for ensuring all athletes are training with appropriate supervision and enduring the athletes and coaches experience the athletic, physical and social benefits of participating in the World Games.

Team USA will train at San Diego State University in San Diego, CA, from March 28 to April 1, approximately three months before the games begin.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting the athletes,” said Meurett.

Once the games begin June 25, 2011, Meurett and his team will return to where the Olympics began, in Greece, which will have 30 sports venues for the games.

The team will have a host city, which will be the Isle of Rhodes, before competing in Athens, Greece.

The opening and closing games will be held in a marble stadium in Athens constructed in 300 B.C., which Meurett stated will be a great experience for the team.

The 2011 World Summer Games are expected to draw over 7,500 athletes from around the world, as well as tens of thousands of volunteers, event officials, coaches, families, spectators and media representatives from around the world.

Team USA includes 314 athletes and 126 coaches and staff for a total delegation of 440.  Team USA will compete in athletics (the track and field team Meurett will coach) aquatics, basketball, bocce, bowling, cycling, equestrian, golf, gymnastics, kayaking, powerlifting, sailing, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.

The Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens will be the largest sporting event in the world in 2011, featuring 22 Olympic-type sports.

As for Meurett’s future plans after coaching the summer games, he plans to continue to stay busy.  In addition to teaching art and photography, he will continue to assist at Neillsville cross-country and track meets, although he recently retired after 27 years of coaching track, which included coaching both boys and girls teams; he also coached cross country for approximately five seasons.  Meurett’s hobbies include photography, art, outdoor sports, including mountain biking and cross-country skiing, and trail building.  He has received many honors through his work with Special Olympics and was recognized at the annual Special Olympics Volunteer Award and Recognition Program as the Coach of the Year in 2004 and Volunteer of the Year in 2001.

Meurett stated coaching with Special Olympics is “something I’ll always do,” and explained Special Olympics athletes appreciate the opportunity to compete and work with coaches, and have fun doing so.

“I just love working with the athletes,” concluded Meurett.