By Terrionna Brockman
Long Beach swimming athlete, Lorna Murakami will take steady strides in Orlando, Florida where she will compete at USA Games for the first time. She is no novice when it comes to competing. She was introduced to Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) and the world of sports in 1982 and is still going strong forty years later. “I’m picked for the first time to go to USA Games and I’m excited to go to Orlando, Florida,” she shared.
In her time as a SOSC athlete, Lorna has tried a variety of sports from bowling, athletics, gymnastics, and a few winter sports. She shared that bowling and snowboarding are two of her favorites. One thing that isn’t on her list of favorites is the scorching heat. Lorna heard that Florida is home to warm weather, plenty of sunshine, and dreads having to be sweaty. She’s pleased to be making a splash at USA Games to keep cool.
To prepare for the Games, Lorna trains three days out of the week at the gym and works on her swimming techniques with her supportive teammate, Sasha. When she is not training, she clocks in at work and has found a steady balance between all of her commitments.
Like the majority of motivated athletes, Lorna’s ultimate goal is to win! She says, “I participate, win gold medals, try my best, and have fun.”