Gajewski Melissa Gajewski has been a volunteer coach with the
for 15 years, but this summer will be a season of firsts for the Robbinsville resident. Gajewski, who will be coaching New Jersey’s unified volleyball team at this summer’s Special Olympics national games, has been a volunteer coach with the Special Olympics since she was 20. Despite Gajewski’s long involvement with the Special Olympics, this summer marks her first time coaching in the national games, her first time coaching volleyball, and her first time coaching a unified team, which is a team that has both traditional Special Olympics athletes as well as athletes without intellectual disabilities, known as partners. In order to coach local teams, Gajewski only had to volunteer and submit to background check, but becoming the coach on a national team was a more involved process. It required a tryout that consisted of an interview and an evaluation of how she related to the athletes. “They’re looking for someone to interact with the kids, not someone who gets frustrated,” she explained. When Gajewski first applied to coach a national team, she applied to coach basketball, which she has been coaching locally for the past seven years. She was told that the position had already been filled, but was offered the chance to coach the unified volleyball team, which she agreed to do. Since Gajewski has never coached volleyball before, or even played it outside of gym class, she has learned a lot from the athletes on her team at their twice weekly practices. “I’ve learned different aspects of the game from nontraditional athletes and traditional athletes,” she said. “I’m enjoying learning a different sport through their eyes.” Gajewski first became involved with Special Olympics while living with her aunt, Debbie Fresco, who has two children with Down syndrome. Fresco and her sons, Tommy and Carl, were and have remained active participants in the Special Olympics. Debbie currently serves as head coach of bowling for Bloomfield Special Olympics and is on the county committee for Area 9 of Special Olympics New Jersey. Tommy and Carl compete in bowling, flag football and basketball. While she was living with the Frescos, Gajewski would go watch her cousins and decided to get involved herself. “I just love working with the kids, seeing them achieve different goals,” she said. Gajewski, 35, lives in Robbinsville and is a stay-at-home mom to her one-year-old son Jackson. Prior to his birth, she worked in schools as a teacher’s aide. She is engaged to be married in December and has a stepson. Over the past 15 years, Gajewski has coached basketball, softball, flag football, floor hockey and soccer for Bloomfield Special Olympics. Her duties as coach include assessing her athletes’ abilities in a sport, providing them with training and preparing them for competition. “She really enjoys being with the athletes,” said Terry Nevins who coordinates Bloomfield Special Olympics and has known Gajewski since she stated volunteering as a coach. Nevins added that Gajewski is a very committed volunteer. “She’s spent a lot of time being involved,” she said. “She has dedicated a lot of time and effort to the athletes.”
Meet Robbinsville’s other representatives
Age: 52 Sport: Cycling Role: Athlete Training program: Area 11 Eden Acres Other sports played: Athletics
Age: 56 Sport: Bowling Role: Coach Training program: Mercer Keglers Years Involved: 3
