Professor
heads Special Olympics
By
Jeanette Prather
Daily Forty-Niner
Every
year thousands of athletes, volunteers and
spectators get involved with the Special
Olympics of Southern California. This year
the adjunct professor of sport management
at Cal State Long Beach, Bob Gobrecht, was
appointed the president and chief executive
officer of the Olympics, in charge of overseeing
and directing all these participants and
volunteers.
Gobrecht
sent in his application along with a couple
hundred other qualified candidates, but
his extensive background in sports and community
involvement won him the position. He gives
credit to CSULB’s director of student
athletics, Bill Shumard, in assisting him
with this process.
“The
Special Olympics is the purest form of sports
left,” Gobrecht said, “and I
am privileged to get a chance to be involved
with them.”
Gobrecht
has worked as a sport executive for more
than 25 years with various teams such as
the Anaheim Angels, the Seattle Mariners,
the Walt Disney Company, IEG and Seattle
Seafair, but claims that the dedication
and endurance demonstrated through the Special
Olympics is incomparable.
“It’s
a life-changing experience for both the
athletes and volunteers,” Gobrecht
said, “[the athletes] get to express
their energy and potentials through the
joy and fun of competition.”
Gobrecht
said he enjoys his new position as president
and chief executive officer and said that
the emotional dividend resulting from this
work is worth more than any amount of money,
“it’s what makes you cry and
why the volunteers come back year after
year.”
Gobrecht
originally earned his bachelor’s of
science and master’s of business administration
from USC, and immediately after graduation,
volunteered for the Peace Corps in Samoa.
He helped the minister of finance for the
government of Samoa and taught on economic
issues and treasury grants. In his spare
time, Gobrecht coached and taught sports.
“I’ve
always been one to serve my community first,”
Gobrecht said, having had plenty experiences
serving his community. His experience includes
working through IEG, an international consulting
organization, conducting Special Olympic
sponsorships for the National Program leaders
in over 100 countries. In addition, Gobrecht
has also been a consultant to Special Olympics
Inc.
“I
enjoyed working as a sport executive for
teams but this is more fulfilling,”
Gobrecht said, referring back to his newly
appointed position of president and chief
executive officer of the Special Olympics
of Southern California, “even though
I got good pay and didn’t go home
as tired as I do now, this is complete and
rewarding. I love it.”
The
athletes range from 10 to 50 years in age,
with the bulk between 15 and 30. According
to Gobrecht, there are about half a million
people in Southern California with disabilities,
and the Special Olympics of Southern California
provides sports training and competition
for 23 individual team sports.
“The
purpose of the Special Olympics is to provide
year-round training for athletes, to keep
them focused, and for them to reach their
potentials,” Gobrecht said, “it’s
all about competition and people trying
their best.”
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