Special Olympian Daniel Fletcher trading weights for swim trunks to raise $120G in Brookhaven polar plunge
Daniel Fletcher, of East Moriches, is a veteran polar plunger who takes part in many such events annually. This past May he competed at the Special Olympics in Farmingdale. Credit: Morgan Campbell
Daniel Fletcher has bench pressed more than 200 pounds and deadlifted 347, but on Saturday he’ll trade squats for swimming trunks.
The competitive weightlifter from East Moriches will be one of about 500 daring divers at Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai taking part in the annual Brookhaven Town Polar Plunge. Organizers hope to raise $120,000 for Special Olympics New York.
Fletcher, 34, a veteran plunger who takes part in many such events annually, may understand more than most participants why they are freezing their phalanges on an autumn day when the high temperature is forecast to be 41 degrees.
That’s because Fletcher, who has Down syndrome, has been a Special Olympian since he was a toddler, said his mother, Edna Fletcher. Besides weightlifting, he plays basketball, bocce, floor hockey, softball and golf.
Edna Fletcher said her son has learned to focus on what he can do, rather than what he can’t.
“We call it ‘up syndrome,’ ” she told Newsday. “... During his developmental stages, he met his milestones, all within nomal ranges. The bottom line is he’s the man with something extra.”
Fletcher said weightlifting makes him feel “humbled, in strength and power.”
Those with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome, which affects their physical and intellectual development. One in 772 children are born with the condition, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fletcher calls himself “Mr. USA” and plans to wear a shirt bearing that slogan on Saturday.
“He likes feeling strong,” Edna Fletcher said. “He likes feeling he’s in control of the competition set before him.”
Fletcher was among the standouts this year at a national Special Olympics weightlifting tournament in Florida.
“Daniel is one of our star athletes,” Rebecca Hoffman, director of development for Special Olympics New York, told Newsday. “As we expected, he wowed everybody and took home a lot of medals.”
Special Olympics New York serves 31,765 athletes — including 1,559 on Long Island — who compete in 22 sports, such as swimming, cycling, snowboarding and figure skating. The Albany-based nonprofit pays all competition fees for its athletes. Polar plunges across the state, including five annually on Long Island, are the group’s biggest fundraisers, Hoffman said.
Fletcher will be plunging this year with friends and Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner, who called him “inspirational.” He and his mother “make a very good team and I expect that Daniel will accomplish whatever he sets out to do,” Bonner wrote in an email.
Besides his sports prowess, Fletcher also is an Eagle Scout. He earned the Boy Scouts’ highest honor by building a device to help Special Olympics equestrians mount their steeds, his mother said. She said she and her husband, Warren, are proud of their son “more than words can say.”
“But we’re teaching him how to be humble nonetheless and how to share his joy as well as defeat with other athletes,” Edna Fletcher said. “You’re not always going to win. But you can always be brave in the attempt.”
Daniel Fletcher has bench pressed more than 200 pounds and deadlifted 347, but on Saturday he’ll trade squats for swimming trunks.
The competitive weightlifter from East Moriches will be one of about 500 daring divers at Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai taking part in the annual Brookhaven Town Polar Plunge. Organizers hope to raise $120,000 for Special Olympics New York.
Fletcher, 34, a veteran plunger who takes part in many such events annually, may understand more than most participants why they are freezing their phalanges on an autumn day when the high temperature is forecast to be 41 degrees.
That’s because Fletcher, who has Down syndrome, has been a Special Olympian since he was a toddler, said his mother, Edna Fletcher. Besides weightlifting, he plays basketball, bocce, floor hockey, softball and golf.
Edna Fletcher said her son has learned to focus on what he can do, rather than what he can’t.
Daniel Fletcher, center, of East Moriches, with his parents Warren and Edna, at Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai. Fletcher will be at the beach on Nov. 19 to participate in a polar plunge to benefit Special Olympics New York. Credit: Tom Lambui
“We call it ‘up syndrome,’ ” she told Newsday. “... During his developmental stages, he met his milestones, all within nomal ranges. The bottom line is he’s the man with something extra.”
Fletcher said weightlifting makes him feel “humbled, in strength and power.”
Those with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome, which affects their physical and intellectual development. One in 772 children are born with the condition, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fletcher calls himself “Mr. USA” and plans to wear a shirt bearing that slogan on Saturday.
“He likes feeling strong,” Edna Fletcher said. “He likes feeling he’s in control of the competition set before him.”
Fletcher was among the standouts this year at a national Special Olympics weightlifting tournament in Florida.
“Daniel is one of our star athletes,” Rebecca Hoffman, director of development for Special Olympics New York, told Newsday. “As we expected, he wowed everybody and took home a lot of medals.”
Special Olympics New York serves 31,765 athletes — including 1,559 on Long Island — who compete in 22 sports, such as swimming, cycling, snowboarding and figure skating. The Albany-based nonprofit pays all competition fees for its athletes. Polar plunges across the state, including five annually on Long Island, are the group’s biggest fundraisers, Hoffman said.
Fletcher will be plunging this year with friends and Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner, who called him “inspirational.” He and his mother “make a very good team and I expect that Daniel will accomplish whatever he sets out to do,” Bonner wrote in an email.
Besides his sports prowess, Fletcher also is an Eagle Scout. He earned the Boy Scouts’ highest honor by building a device to help Special Olympics equestrians mount their steeds, his mother said. She said she and her husband, Warren, are proud of their son “more than words can say.”
“But we’re teaching him how to be humble nonetheless and how to share his joy as well as defeat with other athletes,” Edna Fletcher said. “You’re not always going to win. But you can always be brave in the attempt.”
ABOUT SPECIAL OLYMPICS
31,765 — Athletes
22 — Sports
12,000 — Volunteers
5,250 — Coaches
2 — Youngest age children may participate
$2 million — Raised annually from 17 Polar Plunges statewide, including five on Long Island: Brookhaven (Saturday), Huntington (Dec. 11), North Hempstead (Feb. 4), Oyster Bay (March 25), Splish Splash, Riverhead (April 22)
More information: Call Special Olympics at 631-458-1579 or visit the Brookhaven Town website, brookhavenny.org
SOURCES: Special Olympics New York, Town of Brookhaven
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
