Pasco Resident Named FL Special Olympics 2023 Athlete of the Year

LAND O' LAKES, FL — Known as much for enthusiastically cheering on his fellow athletes from the sidelines as for his own athletic feats, Land O' Lakes resident Andrew Ahearn, 27, has been named Special Olympics Florida’s 2023 Athlete of the Year.

"When I started Special Olympics, I finally wanted to be someone from my dreams. I wanted to be the next hero in my family like my dad," Andrew said.

He aspires to carry on the athletic legacy of his dad, Terry, a U.S. Navy SEAL, who died in 2018.

"I got involved in Special Olympics when I was in sixth grade (in 2012)," Andrew said Ahearn, who has a high-functioning form of autism. "I started in a sport in Special Olympics called soccer."

“Keep going, and never give up” is what his dad used to tell him, said Andrew. And now he shares that message with fellow athletes.

The Athlete of the Year award is presented to an athlete whose life exemplifies courage, generosity, joy, athletic skill, and demonstrates superior leadership, dedication to teammates, sportsmanship and a commitment to helping others.

Andrew volunteers regularly at Special Olympics Florida competitions and fundraisers, and cheers on and encourages his fellow athletes at every event.

"Special Olympics has given him the confidence that he didn't have in the earlier years," said Andrew's mother, Adelle Ahearn. "He will go up to strangers and talk to them and give them information. And when he was younger, he would just hide behind me and his dad, and didn't even want to look at anybody."

His coach, Phyllis Crain, said she met Andrew at Land O' Lakes High School when he was a student in a co-worker's class. "He's amazing. He's just got a great smile and makes everyone feel welcome."

Andrew has been part of Special Olympics Florida for more than 15 years. Although he said he still loves playing soccer, he now competes as a triathlete, and has participated in the Special Olympics USA Games and the World Games.

"Andrew is a competitor, but I don't think he realizes how much of a competitor he is because he's such a great sport," said Crain. "He's always doing his best and doing his best makes him that competitor but he always wants his teammates or fellow athletes to do their best as well."

Andrew agreed.

"Yes, I am a good sport and I always respect other athletes as well," he said. "I show other athletes good sportsmanship because I respect them a lot."

He was also named a Special Olympics Health Messenger, an athlete who is trained to serve as a health and wellness leader, educator, advocate and role model.

Health messengers lead their teams, families and friends in pursuing healthy lifestyles and advocate for health care providers and governments to adopt inclusive policies around health, wellness services, education and resources for people with intellectual disabilities.

He said he became a health messenger to help others get into shape and chase their dreams.

"The reason I love Special Olympics is I like to meet new people, new friends," Andrew said. "It helps me get more experience and try out new things. It also keeps me in shape, too."

Andrew traveled abroad for the first time when he competed in the second annual Special Olympics European Triathlon Open Competition hosted by Special Olympics Slovakia in Samorin, Slovakia, May 18 to 22. Thirty Special Olympics triathletes from around the world competed in the three-part race made up of a 750-meter open-water swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run.

"We have had some amazing opportunities that we never would have dreamt of, and this trip going to Slovakia was something that we never would have thought to be a part of," said Adelle Ahearn.

When Andrew isn't competing or cheering on fellow competitors, he's a familiar figure on Forest View Drive off Parkway Boulevard in Land O' Lakes, where he runs and bikes throughout the neighborhood to keep in top physical condition.

"He does a lot of training on his own, which is great," said Crain. "I don't necessarily have to meet up with him. He runs, he bikes, he swims all on his own."

Adelle Ahearn, who is always on hand to cheer on her son at events around the country, said Special Olympics has had a major impact on her entire family.

"Special Olympics and all the people who are a part of Special Olympics, as far as we're concerned, are extended family. They're just amazing," she said. "My hope is that he never stops trying to better himself. He has taught us so much that we probably wouldn't have learned if he wasn't the person he is."

The awards, which honor service to the Special Olympics movement, were presented at Special Olympics Florida’s 2023 Champions Gala on Oct. 28 at the Omni Resort Orlando at ChampionsGate.