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Coach Laurie Lundberg is a Special Education counselor who has been with the Lewisville School District for eleven years. Four years ago, while working at Flower Mound High School, she made a decision that has affected more students than she could have known, by volunteering to serve as tennis coach for LISD Special Olympics. "We always wanted to have a tennis team, but it was an idea that never panned out until Laurie came along" explains Jim Domer, head of the Lewisville delegation to Special Olympics Texas. To head a sports team as a coach under Special Olympics Texas and the Lewisville ISD delegation, Laurie has given many volunteer hours of preparation in training and practicum.
Laurie has been recruiting tennis players from all the schools she has worked in and more. The 2009 team started with 18 players. This week she brought 11 athletes to the University of Texas at Arlington, where they competed against athletes from all over Texas and brought five gold, five silver, two bronze medals and a fourth place ribbon back to Lewisville. The team consists of students from Lakeview, Griffin and Arbor Creek Middle Schools, Marcus, The Colony and Lewisville High Schools, and graduates from Marcus, Lewisville and Flower Mound High Schools.
Laurie works with athletes of all ages and abilities and holds two practices each week, one in Lewisville and one in The Colony to give everyone a better chance of getting to them, but finds that most students find a way to get to both. She also recruits co-workers as well as her husband Dale, who has been an assistant and chaperone for the last three years.
To LISD Special Olympic families, Laurie is an unsung hero. Renae Carswell, LISD Special Olympics Team secretary, says, "We are so fortunate to have Laurie. She has encouraged so many athletes to come and compete, and we hope to have those same athletes at swimming, bowling and all our sports."
"Not all, but most of our volunteers are parents or siblings of our athletes. When someone from the community steps up and gives one hundred percent as Laurie does, and they don't have an athlete in the program, that is really special." adds Coach Domer
Lewisville ISD Special Olympics has been serving special education students in the Lewisville School District for over 25 years. The group provides year round sports training and competition in swimming, bowling, basketball, softball, bocce, gymnastics, golf, tennis and track. To join as an athlete or volunteer, or see what is new at LISD Special Olympics, visit the website at http://www.lisdso.org
