County Hall of Fame Class of 2020: Jill Mayer
Published 1:30 am Thursday, September 17, 2020
Jill Mayer
Inducted as: Athlete
High School: Everett class of 1997
Sport: Special Olympics
Mayer, who has been competing in Special Olympics for more than 30 years, is a two-time Special Olympics World Games participant, winning six medals, including one gold.
Mayer, who was born with down syndrome, began competing at age 12 as part of the Everett Schools Special Olympics Team, with which she participated in basketball and track and field. After graduating from high school she joined the Everett Independents Special Olympics team, competing in sports such as rhythmic gymnastics, tennis, basketball, golf, swimming, bowling and soccer.
In 2003 Mayer was selected for Team USA for the Special Olympics World Games in Dublin, Ireland. Competing in rhythmic gymnastics, she won one gold medal and four bronze medals. Mayer was again selected by Team USA for the 2011 Special Olympics World Games in Athens, Greece. She again came home with a medal, earning a silver in golf skills.
Mayer’s golf acumen has carried over. In 2017 at the Special Olympics North American Invitational Golf Tournament held in Redmond, competing against athletes from the U.S. and Canada, she claimed another gold medal.
Mayer remains an active Special Olympian, and she gives back by participating in fundraising events sponsored by Everett and State FOE Eagles Auxiliary organizations.
This is the fifth of nine profiles on the 2020 Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame induction class. This year’s banquet was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the inductees will be officially honored at the 2021 banquet.
