THE DEEP END: Tori prepares to dive into the pool; "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Don't get discouraged by your progress and before you know it, you'll have reached your goal."
The most frequently recommended goal for step count is 10,000 steps per day. However, the average American typically only achieves about half of that. Tori was able to reach over 40,000 steps per day.
BY STEPHANIE CORKETT
On a quiet morning in Woodbridge, Virginia, Tori Martin, a 24year-old Special Olympics athlete, changes into her swimsuit and heads to the pool. That morning, Tori has already hit the gym. She dives into the pool and begins doing laps, freestyle and breaststroke. After her morning workout, Tori will go for a walk in the afternoon and may have another swim practice that evening. Tori lives with her grandparents and they have seen her amazing determination to be fit and improve her swimming skills. "We are so very proud of Tori, when we take her to a swim venue to train she is so happy about getting in the water. I have checked her many times to see if she has gills, but to no avail!" explained, Tori's grandmother Emily.
Dave Pawlowski, Vice President of Special Olympics Virginia, informed Tori about a new fitness challenge for Special Olympics athletes attending USA Games in July 2018. Tori, along with her teammates heading to Seattle to compete in USA Games, were invit ed to join a nation-wide fitness challenge where each athlete was challenged to walk one million steps in the five months leading up to USA Games.
"As USA Games approached, Special Olympics wanted to support our athletes by helping them focus on fitness as part of their training," explained Monica Forquer, Senior Manager of Fitness at Special Olympics International. The 2018 USA Games Fitness Challenge gave the opportunity to encourage Special Olympics athletes to reach their personal best through fitness, regardless of their level of ability and type of sport. "Broken down by day, each athlete should aim to get approximately 7,000 steps per day, which we knew from our previous research would be a challenging, but achievable goal for most of our athletes," added Monica. "We also informed them that there would be prizes like workout equipment and headphones for our top performers." Every Special Olympics athlete, Unified sports partner, and coach received a free fitness tracker to track their daily progress which was submitted to Special Olympics. Having partners and coaches in the challenge was instrumental because it built up a support network around the athletes. When Dave heard of the challenge, he knew Tori would excel. "When we introduced the challenge, it energized every athlete and coach to get moving. Based on what we knew about Tori's routine and her drive, we knew that she would be leading the way," explained Dave, "We were extremely proud of her that she not only set a great example for athletes across the country but also showcased the potential our athletes have, given the chance to shine."
Tori, a competitive swimmer since she was 13, knew two things as she started this fitness challenge: swimming could help her get additional steps to win the challenge, and she wanted to be at peak performance for USA Games so she could qualify for the 2019 Special Olympics World Games. With her best friend and training partner, Jerry Holy, Tori began to take her physical exercise up a notch.
"Swimming indoors helped me be active in the winter," explained Tori, "I was able to keep physically active when others couldn't work outside in the winter." With her constant dedication, Jerry wasn't surprised Tori won the challenge. "Tori is an amazing person, all the effort she put into this challenge was amazing. She can achieve any dream she puts herself to. She is a motivator and a leader," said Jerry.
June 30th was the last day of the fitness challenge. Tori blew away other competitors around the country with her 6.7 million steps! She had reached the one million goal six times over. The most frequently recommended goal for step count is 10,000 steps per day. However, the average American typically only achieves about half of that. Tori was able to reach over 40,000 steps per day. On average, it takes about 2,000 steps to run a mile. If you do the math, Tori moved the equivalent of about 20 miles per day, almost as much as a marathon. "Tori gained her steps by doing many forms of exercise. This level of cross training not only helped her to improve in her sport, but also helped prevent injuries. To sustain such high numbers, Tori had to be dedicated to her training plan, as well as her recovery, hydration, and nutrition. High volumes of training like that are unsustainable unless they are accompanied with an overall focus on healthy lifestyle," explained Monica.
Tori received her award for the fitness challenge at a ceremony with Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, and Mary Davis, CEO of Special Olympics. "I was so proud and honored to meet Tim and Mary," said Tori, "I had never received an award like that before. It's a beautiful crystal star." Jerry couldn't have been more proud to see Tori receive the award, saying, "I was excited to share the moment with Tori in Seattle. For her to meet Tim and Mary was a big deal."
At USA Games, Tori received gold medals in the 100 individual medley and 200 breaststroke, and a bronze medal in the 100 freestyle. Those medals will help her qualify for World Games next year. When asked about what kept her going, during all the long workouts, Tori responded, "You have to believe in yourself. I set a goal and I knew I could achieve it if I kept working at it every day." For athletes and others who are looking to get more active, she shares this advice, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Start slowly and work your way to your goal. Don't get discouraged by your progress and before you know it, you'll have reached your goal."•
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stephanie Corkett is External Health Communications manager with Special Olympics, based in Washington, DC.
TORI'S STORY: (Left to right) Tori celebrating her birthday; training with volunteer coach Angie Baker; with Jerry at the 2018 USA Games; with Special Olympics playing cards; and receiving her crystal figurine after winning the step challenge.
