Technical Delegates

Sports Manager - Moira Ryde

Moira started with Special Olympics as a swimming coach for her local club and from that gained as much knowledge about intellectual disability as she could. She also attended many coaching clinics and gained coaching qualifications. Moira has been part of team management for World Games and Asia Pacific Games. She has held many positions within Special Olympics - from National board member and National sports committee to local chair on the Special Olympics Victoria board including being treasurer. She has also been a member of the Special Olympics International rules committee for 6 years. Moira was awarded the Special Olympics Australia Hall of Fame award in 2014.

Athletics - Alicia Lands

Alicia and her sister started their local Special Olympics athletics training program in 2001. They have been coaching the local group of athletes together ever since. She became involved in team trips with Special Olympics in 2010 for the National Games in Adelaide with Team Victoria, then attending the 2011 World Games, 2012 Junior National Games and 2015 World Games. Alicia's first role as Athletics Technical Delegate was in 2014 for the National Games held in Melbourne. She said it was fantastic to organise an event that so many athletes, coaches and volunteers got to enjoy. Utilising her past experience as being part of the team environment has been invaluable to her role as Technical Delegate. 

Alicia's other Special Olympics roles are as Melbourne Inner East club athletics coach and athletics coordinator, Membership Officer and Victorian State Athletics Coordinator. Outside of Special Olympics she is a secretary and life member of Diamond Creek Calisthenics Club and was a competitor for 25 years.

Basketball - Suzy Chainey

Suzy has played basketball since she was 10, playing club representative basketball through her junior years and continuing to play at a state league level until starting a family. She started coaching basketball in 2001 when her local Special Olympics club wanted to start a basketball program and needed a coach. Suzy has travelled to the Special Olympics World Games as an assistant basketball coach and as part of Team Management. This will be her 3rd National Games in the role of basketball Technical Delegate and 5th in total.

Bocce - Ian Hampton

For past 10 years Ian has assisted or run the annual Special Olympics Victoria State Games Bocce tournament. He was the assistant Technical Delegate for the Bocce at the 2014 National Games in Melbourne. Ian assists with the regular coaching of the Melbourne Eastern Ranges Bocce athletes.

Bowling - Justin Lopes

Justin has been involved in Special Olympics for five years and has attended the 2014 National Games, as well as Junior National Games and Trans Tasman Tournment in this time. Justin has had previous roles as Victorian State Manager for Tenpin Bowling Australia and Team Manager for Victorian State and youth teams. He is a qualified level 1 coach and is a participant in a weekly bowling league.

Equestrian - Jill Shelton

Growing up as a child in country Victoria, Jill has been a horse rider all her life. She has always been driven to enable children with disabilities to enjoy some of the fun that she was lucky enough to enjoy, growing up. Jill has been an RDA coach since 1987 and volunteers twice a week working with children and adults with a variety of disabilities. She is on the coaching and safety committee in RDASA , and is involved in running competitions and training activities. Jill is a classifier for Para Equestrian competition and works as a physiotherapist with children with disabilities.

Football - Eddie Meechan

Eddie is a veteran of Special Olympics Australia football competition, having been involved for 18 years and attended four previous National Games. He was the Head Coach of the football team at the 2003 and 2011 World Games, as well as NSW coach as various National Games, including the 2010 Games in Adelaide. He has been the state football coordinator for NSW from 2001-2005 and 2010 to present.

Golf - Rex Langthorne AM

Rex has played and coached several sports at varying levels but golf has been his major focus since 1979 when he joined the Long Reef Club in Sydney. His achievements with Special Olympics include introducing golf into the program in Australia as wellas being involved in coaching athletes and managing events in NSW plus organising charity golf days to raise funds for the organisation. During his tenure with Special Olympics Rex has held positions from Regional or Club Chair, SOA Board Chair to being a member of the SOI Board. His greatest satisfaction is seeing athletes that he has coached become members of his golf club, play in regular club competitions, be fully accepted by members and win club events. 

Gymnastics - Natalie Johnston

Natalie started out as a Gymnast at the age of 6 and continued competing in the sport until she was 18 years of age, reaching National Level 9 and representing NSW at the Australian National Titles on many occasions. She has coached all level of gymnasts, from Kindergym to Elite but always ensured there were some Special Olympics Gymnasts in her weekly coaching program. Natalie has worked for Gymnastics NSW as the Sports Program Manager for 8 years, managing Womens’, Mens’, Rhythmic, Trampolining, Sports Aerobics and Sports Acrobatics. She has travelled on Special Olympics teams interstate and overseas to State, National, Trans Tasman and World Games. She is currently on the Special Olympics International Sports Rules Committee for Gymnastics and has loved having the opportunities to meet all of the wonderful athletes and volunteers that have been a part of every level of all these events around the country and the world.

Sailing - Deirdre Schahinger

Deirdre learnt to sail with her father in a wooden 14ft dinghy, progressing to family holidays in a 24ft trailer-sailer off the south coast of England. Later on she raced with her husband in 18ft catamarans at Adelaide Sailing Club at club, state and national level. Deirdre is the coordinator of Sailability Holdfast Bay, an international program that supports people of all ages with a disability to take up sailing. Many Special Olympics athletes have learnt to sail with a Sailability program and learnt to race at Hansa Championships. She has volunteered with Adelaide Sailing Club to host several national championships of all sailboat classes including Hansa, Blind Match racing and was TD of Sailing  at the 2010 National Games.

Swimming - Liz Ewen

As a swimmer and water polo player, Liz was always interested in water sports. After many years of teaching swimming, she went on to do her Level 2 Accreditation in 1994. In the same year she was approached by Special Olympics Brisbane North Region to coach their squads on a temporary basis. 23 years later she is still involved with Special Olympics Brisbane Club and has been part of many Queensland and Australian Swimming Teams since. As a head coach on these teams Liz has had the honour of seeing my swimmers achieve personal best times and medals of all colours. As the Special Olympics Queensland Swimming Coordinator she has implemented the Unified Swim School, now at 3 locations, in an effort to combine Special Olympics and mainstream club swimmers.

Tennis - Greg Gibson

Greg has been involved in Special Olympics Australia for 24 years, attending six National Games in that time. He has been the World Games head coach on three occasions and assistant Technical Delegate at the 2007 and 2007 Games. Greg has been the Tecnical Delegate for tennis at the 2002 and 2014 National Games, as well as head coach for NSW four times. In 1993 he introduced tennis to his local Special Olympics club and has been the NSW Tennis coordinator since 1995. Outside of Special Olympics Greg is the President of the Marrickville District Lawn Tennis Club.