New York Special Olympics Coach Wins First-Ever Lifetime Achievement Award

Start spreading the news, she's here to stay. Nothing like some good news to share that just makes me want to sing. I've been fortunate to have been an official for the Unified basketball program in the Southern Tier and I know what a great experience that was.

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I know that Unified Sports and Special Olympics aren't exactly the same but they are close. So when I read the announcement about a New York coach receiving this awesome Lifetime Achievement Award, I couldn't have been happier.

Annette Lynch Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

I want to say "Congratulations to Martha Pachuta of Perry, New York as the first winner of the Annette Lynch Lifetime Achievement Award for Coaching by Special Olympics North America.

There are over 135,000 Special Olympic coaches in the country and Pachuta was the inaugural recipient of this award...and she's from New York. She's been coaching Special Olympics athletes for more than 35 years and she isn't planning on slowing down.

She's most known for swimming but she also coaches alpine skiing, floor hockey, golf, and volleyball. She mentors coaches at every level of the program and she ALWAYS puts her athletes first.

The Lifetime Achievement Award for Coaching was named after Annette Lynch because she is a pioneer in elevating quality coaching in Special Olympics. Lynch has a passion for making sure that the athletes get the best training possible.

Special Olympics New York is the largest state chapter in the country and helps more than 31,000 athletes from New York with year-round sports training and more. So let me sing the praises for a job well done...and she's not done yet. Congrats Coach Pachuta.