The Special Olympics Aroostook County Area Management Team has announced a new volunteer basketball coach for this year’s Special Olympics northern Maine basketball season.
Brian Hamel, a graduate of University of Massachusetts and current managing partner of a local financial services firm, has been selected.
In his letter of application to the management team, Hamel assured them he will “approach this challenge with a great deal of energy, passion, commitment to excellence, integrity, patient understanding, all while having fun at it.”
Special Olympics Aroostook is one of 12 area programs associated with Special Olympics Maine. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.”
“It is my honor to be a part of the Special Olympics team and I am looking forward to a rewarding basketball season,” stated Hamel. “I have already had the pleasure of meeting some of the athletes and assistant coaches, and what struck me was the enthusiasm and commitment each participant has for his/her team and teammates. It’s this positive attitude that will allow us to achieve our goals as we prepare for the statewide Special Olympics basketball tournament in March.”
The new coach will complete seminars and trainings with the Special Olympics Maine Coach Education Program prior to starting the eight or more weeks of training for the games played against other Special Olympic basketball teams throughout Maine.
Hamel has been extensively involved in helping his local communities in both his 31-year business career and personal life. In 1994 he and his family moved from New Hampshire to Aroostook County, where he began his duties of president and CEO of Loring Development Authority with a goal of stimulating the economy and recreating jobs after the closure of Loring Air Force Base. He continued in this capacity until 2005.
Hamel has volunteered as a “reading buddy” at Mapleton Elementary School, a mentor in the Central Aroostook Mentoring Program, chairman of the board of the Maine Winter Sports Center, chairman of the board of the Northern Maine Community College Foundation, and he has extensive experience in coaching youth basketball, soccer and softball while residing in New Hampshire.
“The Area Management Team is very excited to have Brian as part of our program, said Steve Richard, executive director of the Central Aroostook ARC. “With his organizational skills and commitment to community programs, he definitely will be an asset to not only Special Olympics Aroostook, but to the athletes involved in our program.”
