Illinois Bocce Athlete to Return to World Games More Than 2 Decades Later
Nearly 25 years after his first World Games experience, Special Olympics Illinois athlete Mike
Mike Cavanaugh shows off his medal earned at the 2010 Illinois Summer Games.
Cavanaugh, 56, will make his return to the world stage at the 2011 World Games in Greece competing in bocce.
At the 1987 World Summer Games in Indiana, Mike competed in softball and his team took second place. “It was my first time attending the World Games and I really enjoyed it,” he said. MaryJo Johnson, his coach at the 1987 Games said “he was one of the best slow pitchers in the state of Illinois.”
Mike is looking forward to visiting a new country and meeting athletes from around the world. “I might have such a good time that I don’t want to come back,” he joked. The 2011 World Games will be very different from the ‘87 Games and Mike is interested in seeing how the experience has changed after more than two decades.
As an older athlete, Mike often tells younger athletes to “enjoy themselves and not to take it too seriously because you are out there for fun. If you win, you win and if you don’t, you don’t.” But do not let him fool you – Mike is highly competitive. Mike enjoys winning and it is important for him to do his best. Gold medals are “great” because that means he has the chance to advance to the next level of competition. Johnson says Mike has a natural sports ability. He is “very coachable and team oriented.”
Mike’s mom encouraged him to become involved with Special Olympics more than 25 years ago. “It gives me something to do every week and keeps me in shape,” Mike said. Over the years, he has become wiser and gained a lot of experience through Special Olympics.
Mike Cavanaugh competes in bocce at the Illinois Summer Games
It is important to him to stay involved with Special Olympics as long as he can and to volunteer as much as possible. In fact, when he didn’t advance to Summer Games a few years ago, he spent the weekend volunteering at the bocce venue.
Mike also competes in basketball, bowling, softball and volleyball. He previously competed in powerlifting but didn’t find it a good fit for him. He loves bocce because of the socialization and head-to-head competition.
For more than 25 years, Mike has worked at Four Seasons Athletic Club in Bloomington maintaining the men’s locker room. His favorite part of his job is being able to interact with others. Because of his longtime presence on the job and his outgoing personality, Mike is well-known around his hometown of Bloomington.
Mike is one of eight athletes from Illinois competing in the 2011 World Summer Games in Greece.
