INSIDE SOSC: Special Olympics is a Family Affair for Athlete Joselyn Bermudez and Her Parents

By Emma Vandine

When it comes to involvement with Special Olympics, athlete Joselyn Bermudez and her family demonstrate how there is no such thing as โ€œtoo busyโ€ or โ€œtoo involved.โ€ Starting as an athlete ten years ago at the age of 13, Joselyn now participates in five sports for SOSC, while her parents coach four of those five sports.

โ€œIt gets us out of the house,โ€ said Joselyn. โ€œAnd it gets us away from that TV and that couch!โ€ Joselyn participates in floor hockey, bowling, basketball, tennis, and softball. She was looking forward to adding flag football to her resume this year, but the COVID-19 heath crisis affected the SOSC sports seasons.

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According to Joselyn, SOSC has positively impacted her attitude and has given her an outlet. โ€œI feel like Iโ€™ve gotten better with my emotions,โ€ she said. โ€œItโ€™s always nice to let it out on the field!โ€

Joselyn has also been recruited by Kellie Peterson, a Special Olympics employee, to become a Global Messenger for Special Olympics. In this role, Joselyn will help communicate the powerful declarations of hope, acceptance and courage of Special Olympics athletes around the world as a leader and message-bearer. She is looking forward to training once everything is back open and safe.

Her parents, Alicia and Jaime, began their involvement with SOSC about four years ago by getting trained and certified as coaches for most of the sports Joselyn participates in.

They decided to become coaches so they could stay closer to Joselyn, especially during traveling for competitions. โ€œWeโ€™re kind of hooked now,โ€ said Alicia. โ€œWe enjoy it!โ€

Even though Joselyn is beginning to transition to a higher division, Alicia and Jaime will remain coaching the lower division. Jaime admits that he loves the athlete interaction.

โ€œ[I enjoy] going out there and watching how they improve from season to season โ€“ physically, emotionally and mentally,โ€ said Jaime.

โ€œWeโ€™ve learned a lot of tolerance, patience and acceptance, and thatโ€™s what we like to try to pass along to everybody,โ€ said Alicia. The Bermudez household takes pride in sharing with family, friends and coworkers about the importance of inclusion.

Both parents recount a favorite memory with SOSC two years ago when Joselynโ€™s floor hockey team won five straight games in one day (with one game even going into triple overtime), ultimately winning the gold medal for the season championship.

โ€œI think the parents were more excited than the athletes,โ€ joked Jaime.

On top of being a coach, Jaime is also in law enforcement and has been a member of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for about three years. โ€œI enjoy getting involved with co-workers so they can see what Special Olympics does.โ€ He especially enjoys volunteering and raising funds at events like Tip-A-Cops and the Guardian Bowl, and he is looking forward to when events like those can happen again. LETR is a public awareness vehicle and grassroots fundraiser with representation in all 50 states and over 3,500 law enforcement officers in Southern California alone championing acceptance and inclusion.

Joselyn and her parents are not the only members of the Bermudez family involved with Special Olympics โ€“ they also have two small dogs named Jasmine and Freddie who they take with them to most tournaments and events. Jasmine is Joselynโ€™s emotional support animal and both dogs are known by name amongst fellow athletes and are quite popular.

โ€œ[Jasmineโ€™s] really nice to talk to when Iโ€™m mad because she wonโ€™t talk back like my mom,โ€ joked Joselyn.

When COVID-19 hit, the Bermudez family had to adjust to a whole new routine that didnโ€™t include consistent practices, games, events or tournaments. Joselyn is staying active by exercising with her mom in their garage, swimming in their pool, and playing an exercise game on her Nintendo Switch called, โ€œRing Fit Adventure.โ€

The Bermudez family think about other athletes frequently, and hope they are not feeling discouraged or alone during this unprecedented time. โ€œJust because there are no sports right now doesnโ€™t mean you shouldnโ€™t keep exercising โ€“ donโ€™t give up,โ€ said Joselyn. โ€œI miss everyone, and I just really hope that with all this going on theyโ€™re all making sure to stay healthy, active and safe.โ€

They are looking forward to resuming their busy schedule and getting out there again. โ€œWe didnโ€™t realize how much we were involved until we werenโ€™t, said Alicia. โ€œWe miss it.โ€

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