BIO
Charlie began swim lessons as a toddler, just like all of his older siblings, through the town recreation programs. In second grade, he competed for the first time in the annual regional Special Olympics Maine swim meet and he never looked back. He participated in this meet every year. During his middle school years, he swam for the school team, followed by four years on the high school swim team. While in high school, he was also invited to swim at the state Special Olympic Maine meets where he won his first state goals in the 25 yard Butterfly.
Throughout high school, Charlie was a four-sport athlete—Soccer, Unified Basketball, Swimming, and Baseball. It was therefore a difficult transition for Charlie when his time in the public school system ended and suddenly all of these competitive athletic opportunities ceased as well. The loss of the team camaraderie along with the health benefits of daily coached workouts was a huge loss for Charlie. Fortunately, the opportunity to continue competitive swimming came along. He was given a spot on the Special Olympics Maine swim team for the 2022 USA Games and began training for team competition again. His motivation returned and he had an amazing experience at the Games in Orlando, Florida.
Through his involvement with the USA Games, we learned of USA Down Syndrome Swimming. Charlie attended the National Training Camp in Orlando, Florida in February 2022. Charlie loved swimming with athletes from all over the country! He qualified for the USA team. Despite the team’s members and coaching staff being spread across the U.S, the team camaraderie, the work ethic, and the motivation to train and achieve together were incredibly powerful. The athletes competed in Portugal in the 2022 DSISO World Championship and placed fourth. Not only did Charlie grow in his swimming ability and conditioning, but he gained a great deal of confidence and independence traveling and staying with his teams for both the Special Olympics and DSISO events.
Charlie is proud to have qualified for the 2024 USA Team and continues to train and compete in local Masters swim meets when available. He is able to train with a Masters workout group and greatly enjoys swimming in this inclusive setting alongside his peers. He is eager to travel to Michigan in March 2024 for a regional USA DSS meet and swim clinic with his teammates. Thanks to USA DSS, he identifies as a competitive swimmer and feels a great deal of pride, especially when wearing his USA Team swag.
