Schilli brings home Special Olympics USA silver medal

Bobby Schilli gets as much out of life as he possibly can. Most recently, that includes a silver medal at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, held in Seattle in July.

Twenty-four-year-old Schilli, who has Down syndrome, represented Alabama at the Special Olympics in golf.

According to his father, Bob Schilli, Alabama’s delegation for the Special Olympics was about 150 people, large enough to charter a plane out of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. That number included athletes, coaches, assistants and staff.

The Special Olympics started in 1968 with the goal of promoting inclusivity and enjoyment of sports. It has grown to support more than 100,000 local, national and international games each year.

Golf has always been a popular sport in the Schilli household, with Bobby Schilli’s younger brother, Pete, accepting a golf scholarship to Spring Hill College in Mobile earlier this year.

“It was just something that the three guys could get out and do on the weekends,” their father said.

Bobby Schilli started playing golf at the age of 10, taking lessons at Eagle Point golf course on U.S. 280, which has since closed.

“They had some great, older gentlemen out there who were great with the kids. A lot of patience,” Bob Schilli said.

“I like to go outside and hit the ball, putting,” Bobby Schilli said of his love for the game.

Bob Schilli attended this year’s Special Olympic Games as his son’s caddy, while Bobby Schilli competed at the fourth level in golf, where he played nine holes. He earned an overall score of 179 in the three days that he competed, earning a silver medal.

“It was a great experience,” Bob Schilli said. “The medal that he got, I kind of look at it as a symbol of what he was able to do, but it was whole experience.”

While competing in the Special Olympics, the athletes stayed in dorms at the University of Washington. 

They competed in their respective sports during the day at different venues across the city and reconvene in the evening for dinner and various activities, including a Seattle Mariners game. 

One fun aspect of the Special Olympic Games is that each athlete gets pins representing their delegation or state, and they are able to trade with athletes from other delegations. By the end of the week, Bobby Schilli had a lanyard overflowing with pins given to him by athletes from other states.

The Special Olympic USA Games are held every four years, with the next competition planned for 2022 in Orlando, Florida. 

In order to compete, athletes must be invited to do so, but the Schillis are confident they’ll receive yet another invitation.

In the meantime, Bobby Schilli spends his time doing clerical work for a trucking company, bowling (another sport that he competes in at the Special Olympics) and ballroom dancing.