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My name is Natasha Cole. I am a Self-Advocate Coordinator for the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) in the West Region and I am an athlete in Special Olympics.

As an athlete, I participate in cross-country skiing and track and field and I am the Head Coach for the DDS Torrington FIT Club. We meet weekly at Club 24 and Energy Fitness. 

My responsibilities as a Head Coach and leader include coming up with a weekly meeting schedule for my club. I decide with my local coordinator where we will meet and the time. I plan out events and let my group know ahead of time. I spread the word about my Unified Sports® Fitness Club to all individuals and providers in the West region. Currently we have a group of 6 athletes and 3 partners that are actively meeting each week.

My favorite part of the job is to meet at the different gyms and being a part a group. I love to teach others how to work out, educate about the Fit 5 (program) and to empower others to be healthy through diet and exercise. 

I got involved to be a head coach by inheriting the Unified Sports® Fit Club from a coworker who retired. He originally started the club in 2018 and I took it over and completed the head coach training online.

A typical day as a Unified Fitness Club leader is to come up with a warm up to begin with. It's usually a 5-10 minute warm-up/stretch. Then we go out into the gym floor and buddy up to use weights, cardio machines and rowing machines. 

We typically workout every Wednesday for 1 hour each week. All of our group members enjoy working out together each week. We all have fit bits and track our steps. 

We are grateful for Special Olympics!