SHORELINE — Most people don’t enjoy earning last place in sporting events.
The developmentally disabled athletes Mary Ellen Eagle coaches don’t enjoy it either — they savor it.
“Whether it is just knocking one (bowling) pin down, it makes them feel good,” Eagle said. “Members join not because we win a lot, but because of the spirit of the team.”
Eagle, 53, of Shoreline, privately coaches developmentally disabled athletes in King County, after first establishing a team 28 years ago. Unlike other such groups, she is not affiliated with the city or schools, and must raise funds for the team to operate, which includes renting practice facilities and providing uniforms.
Starting out with a total of four members, Eagle now has 75 athletes who participate in various sporting events she organizes, ranging from bowling and softball to swimming and soccer.
Due to the extent of her volunteer work, Eagle recently was named Special Olympics coach of the year and has been nominated for the Seahawks Community Quarterback award.
“They give me more than I can ever give them,” Eagle said about the athletes. “They give me love and care; they are my family.”
Eagle’s fate may have been determined when she was a bench warmer during high school sporting events.
“I was not the fastest, or the best, but I learned how to play the game,” Eagle said. “All my kids get to play, they don’t sit on the bench.”
Eagle’s motivation for coaching the teams originates from what her mother taught her and her 13 siblings growing up. Her father left when she was 12 years old, and even though the family had little money, Eagle’s mother taught them how to give back to the community.
“We learned to use what we had; we felt we could use our talents,” Eagle said. “I know how to coach and have patience.”
Participating in the Special Olympics is important to developmentally disabled individuals, Eagle said, because they are able to succeed in small ways, which she witnesses at every practice. By participating in bowling, the athletes are able to learn tasks like tying their shoes. One athlete, who is deaf, has a piece of paper he hands to the clerk with his shoe size.
“They are able to ask a clerk for a pair of shoes, which is winning in their own way,” Eagle said. “It makes them feel good.”
One blind woman, who participated on the softball team, had always wanted to hit a ball. With assistance from Eagle, she eventually obtained her goal.
And one member of the bowling team, who had gallbladder surgery, even had his surgeon call Eagle before the operation, to say that he would not have the surgery unless he could eventually rejoin the team.
When Eagle was in the ninth grade, she began coaching teams through the Catholic Youth Organization while attending a Catholic high school in Ballard. She also began volunteering at the Fircrest School every Sunday, taking the young adults to church and out to eat at McDonald’s. In 1976, she started coaching developmentally disabled athletes.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in physical education and masters in special education from Seattle University, Eagle taught elementary school for a number of years. She also taught at Shoreline Community College for four years, where she taught programs catered to disabled people.
She began running her first group home in 1976, which was when she started taking the children and adults bowling every week, after one mother suggested the team join the Special Olympics.
In 1992, Eagle won the local Jefferson Award, and was then sent to Washington, D.C., where she received the national award. She was awarded $1,000, which she used to buy baseball caps for the athletes.
After winning the Jefferson Award, Eagle said she wanted to give it to one of her athletes who had never won an award in track. Instead, she ended up fashioning a medal to give him. Now, Special Olympics has ribbons for all participants.
“I want everyone to win a medal,” Eagle said. “I want to give every person a chance.”
To assist in planning fund-raising events and coaching the various teams, Eagle receives help from a group of specially trained volunteers. Together, they organize bake sales and car washes, accept collections and sell hot dogs outside grocery stores.
“Sometimes we have it hard,” Eagle said. “But the kids are never lacking.”
Shoreline resident Dorothy Phelps has seen her daughter grow under Eagle’s coaching. Rena Phelps, 38, who suffers from Down syndrome, has participated in Eagle’s bowling, swimming and track teams, for 12 years.
“It has given her more independence,” Dorothy Phelps said. “She is willing to try more things than ever before.”
Phelps said Eagle makes sure each athlete is recognized for doing their best, no matter if they win a medal or not. All Eagle cares about is that the athletes do their best, she said.
“They look up to her, they all love her,” Phelps said. “She goes out of her way to make sure each one thinks they are special.”
Drew Hendel, sports and training manager for Special Olympics of Washington, nominated Mary Ellen Eagle for the Seahawks award. He said although it can be difficult to select one volunteer, Eagle stands out because of her long coaching career.
Eagle often handles difficult situations with the athletes, a few of whom suffer from behavioral problems. Hendel said the athletes appreciate her coaching and look up to her.
“What is most important to her is helping others,” Hendel said. “Most of us would be better off if we modeled ourselves after her in being selfless.”
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