Anthony Teetsell had stepped away from competing in powerlifting the past two years, instead focusing on coaching and his leadership roles. But last weekend, he made a critical decision. He wanted one more shot at the Special Olympics. So he’ll take part in the State Fall Classic in November at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. “I decided just one last time would be good for me,” Teetsell said. Teetsell, a 28-year-old Weeki Wachee resident, is one of many athletes dealing with an intellectual disability through Special Olympics Florida-Hernando County.
“Our athlete leaders… provide an example for our athletes to strive to achieve something more than just competing, whether or not it’s coaching, learning computer skills, being involved on a governance level,” said Andrew Ingram, field services director for the organization. He continued, “But they also provide leadership for us. They talk at fundraisers, at awareness events. They talk about their challenges and achievements, and I would say on a daily basis our athlete leaders lead me, inspire me and motivate me to do my job better.”
Teetsell has risen to the forefront in several different capacities. A graduate of Central High in 2005, he wasn’t allowed to participate in any prep sports due to his condition. But thanks to Special Olympics, he has become an accomplished competitor. He has gold medals in bocce and basketball, and has taken part in bowling, swimming and track and field. “I started in Special Olympics in 2006, a year after high school. It was good to be able to do sports,” Teetsell said. “I wanted to do sports. I never got involved in sports in high school.”
In powerlifting, however, he has truly carved out his niche. In his first two years he finished second at states before taking home the gold his next two tries. He additionally placed second at a regional competition a couple of years ago. “It’s really boosted his ego as far as doing things, because he’s never had that chance,” said his grandmother, Lillian Grover, who has served as Teetsell’s guardian since the passing of his mother several years ago. “This has really opened him up as far as being able to compete,” she added.
Explaining how Teetsell got involved in weightlifting, “He was real, real tiny when he was little. My son bought him a weight set and he started working out, and he saw what a difference it made. And he just continued ever since then working with the weights,” said Lillian Grover. She is not only Teetsell’s grandmother but is also technically the coach of the local powerlifting squad, stepping in to fill a void when the team was nearly disbanded. Joking that she can’t even lift the bar, she leans on Teetsell, who has officially coached the last two years.
“I decided to become a coach because I know that I won’t be able to do this forever,” Teetsell said. “So I became a coach and I took my team to state a couple years and they all came home with gold. “I enjoy guiding my team and teaching them the right way to do powerlifting.” His commitment doesn’t end there. He works as a global messenger for the Special Olympics, speaking at businesses, raising support and awareness.
Teetsell is also the chairman of the District 6 Athlete Input Council, and it’s far from a ceremonial position. “He reports out on that committee at those (county management) meetings on their activities and updates them on events that are upcoming,” Ingram said. “He’ll also provide reports on any training that he has been to or events for the state that he has attended.
“Our mission is sports training and competition for individuals with intellectual disabilities, but the ultimate goal is about gaining the confidence, the skill set to go out and achieve an everyday life. As an athlete leader, Tony has continued that effort to provide new challenges, to excel as a person and as a member of the Hernando County community. It gives him additional opportunites to go out there and learn who he is and what he can achieve instead of conforming to what he’s always been told he can’t do,” Ingram elaborated.
Ingram has also been impressed with Teetsell’s personality and the way he has handled his duties.
“He has an incredible amount of self control that I wish I could have. I have never met anybody who is so healthy. Anthony in everyday life focuses on his decision-making and how it betters him. I’m always uber-impressed by the decisions that he makes. He’s an impressively motivated and structured person, but he’s also got a good sense of humor,” said Ingram.
Though this year will likely mark his final time as a powerlifter, he still plans to continue to coach, work as a global messenger and perhaps compete in other sports. As long as he stays involved, he has the chance to provide a beacon for others to follow.
Ingram remarked, “It’s providing that example for somebody who has bucked the trend and taken the challenge to better themselves, to consistently go to a training and learn new skills and achieve at something that he never imagined he could achieve. And hopefully that motivates somebody to come out, whether or not it’s the athlete or the athlete’s parents or a friend, to get the awareness out there to increase our athlete numbers in the county and increase the reach of this program.”
