Special Olympics Team Ireland continue to inspire other athletes

 

As coach of the Women’s Basketball team, she watched her players prioritise focus over attention from the cameras and the cheers from adoring fans to execute a comeback in the final and win gold by a margin of just two points.

 

And when Ronning returned to Dublin to captain the Parnells Ladies GAA team in the Intermediate county final, she came endowed with a mindset that would finally deliver a county title after 10 years of hardship.

 

"Coming back from the games I really didn’t need any motivation. I saw how the athletes pushed themselves and I knew I wanted that as well.

 

"We (Parnells) had lost four finals going into this one which was a bit of a joke really and some of us are nearing retirement so we really went for it. Lifting the cup felt a bit surreal because this is a long time coming but it was such a huge honour and I’m so proud of the girls.’

 

When she’s not coaching the game, Vicki Ronning also takes in some court time and has been described by the DCU Mercy Basketball team as “an aggressive rebounder.”

 

And Ronning insists that the abundance of grit and determination among the Special Olympics players, meant she never needed to preach that style of play to the players in preparing for the L.A. games.

 

"It’s a strong accolade of mine that I’ve learned from playing GAA but in fairness there were a few players who already had some of my attributes which really shone through in the last game when we went 15-10 down and the girls came back to win it.’

 

There are obvious boundaries of aggression to be observed in contact sport and although there is an absence of sledging and off-the-ball antics in Ladies GAA, it is a prevalent issue in the men’s division.

 

The eight week ban for Tyrone’s Tiernan McCann is the most recent addition to that unwanted chapter in the GAA and while she acknowledges that it might be a harsh penalty, Vicki Ronning is pleased to see the issue being highlighted.

 

‘It’s probably more predominant in men’s football which has been happening for quite a while and it’s great that they’re addressing it. The eight week ban might have been a bit harsh given that you see it all over the country but because they’re trying to address it now, I think it’s fair.’

 

Juggling two sports as an athlete incorporates a litany of complications in itself and when you occupy the coach’s role as well the difficulties are even more numerous. But a strong network of support allows Vicki Ronning to master all obstacles.

 

‘Fitting in the Special Olympics basketball with football was a bit tight during the summer because the games had to take precedent so I had to miss a few training sessions but I was so lucky that I was surrounded by great support from everyone at work, family and friends.’

 

The Special Olympics Basketball team have been training together since winning the Ireland games last year which was their first taste of glory under the stewardship of Vicki Ronning. And in that time, the Parnells lady has watched the players blossom into supreme athletes and their exploits on the court are what encourage her to strive for more.

 

‘We take a lot of things for granted and from working with Special Olympics and seeing how hard they work to get the rewards makes me want it more when I go back to play my own sport. When we worry about small things you second guess yourself if it’s really worth complaining about when you see what the athletes overcome.’