Local athlete Marty Zeamer Jr. has been involved with the Special Olympics for over 20 years, following a rigorous training schedule and participating in meets across the country. This year was his first time competing in nationals, and his hard work paid off; in June, he took home a bronze medal in the 50-meter freestyle relay and placed seventh in the 50-meter backstroke relay at the Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando.

Marty started swimming at the Hempfield recCenter in the fall of 2021, training there once a week and training twice a week at the Lititz recCenter with his Olympic coach, Anne Phillips. After competing in Orlando in June, he took the summer off, but will start training again soon for the beginning of the season in January. Currently, Marty is training for an upcoming powerlifting meet in Villanova.

"He's always been athletic. Marty started out with soccer and basketball when he was young," said Chris Zeamer, Marty's mother. "He found that he enjoys individual sports more than team sports, so he started swimming and powerlifting." Marty started swimming when he was 8 years old and competes at an event in State College each year. "Being at nationals was on a whole other level," Chris said. "It was the culmination of all of his training. Marty knew he trained for it and was very excited with his medals."

Although he found success at the competition in Orlando, Marty has no plans to stop training for the next meet. He has his sights set on mastering techniques he has yet to try, including platform diving, completing flip turns in the water and adding butterfly and breaststroke to his repertoire.

Marty lives in West Hempfield Township with his mother, Chris; father, Marty Sr.; and dog. The family also includes Marty's brother, Joe. Marty Sr. is a powerlifting coach for the Special Olympics and works with his son for his lifting competitions. "We're a very active family," said Chris. "We go walking three times a week with our dog, Ava, and go biking on many local trails." Aside from competitive athletics, Marty loves country music, action movies and watching football with his family.

Three days a week, Marty works at Lighthouse Vocational Services in New Holland, an organization that provides work opportunities and community engagement programs for those with developmental disabilities. Jobs such as assembling and packaging items are offered at the facility, and opportunities for competitive jobs are made available for participants of the program.

For more information, visit https://lighthousevoc.org.