WARRENTON, Mo. — Once Libby Waddell gets in the pool, it's hard to convince her to come out.
“She’s like a fish. She is," Libby's mother Anne said.
“She’s amazing. Always has been. Always happy. Always sarcastic. Loves cherry pie," Special Olympics swim coach Eric Lewis said.
This 36-year-old Warrenton Pathfinders Bulldogs Special Olympian is at home in the water. And she has the medals to prove it. Even if she is pretty modest about her award count... at first.
5 On Your Side: "How many medals do you have?"
Libby: "Hmmm.... 20?"
Libby's mom off camera: "Oh it's in the hundreds"
Libby: "Thanks mom. Yeah, hundreds."
“She’s very good. She works really hard. And that’s the key. As long as you work hard and you stay on pace… She never gives up. That’s the biggest thing. She wants to prove herself and she does every single time," Lewis said.
Whether it’s in the pool or at her job at the Warren Country Sheltered Workshop, Libby, who has Down syndrome, works hard, and always brings a smile.
“Libby’s been here for a little over a year and she’s a joy to have here," Workshop Executive Director Jami Washburn said. “We’ve been here since 1978 and our mission is to employ people with disabilities. It can be any type of disability. It can be physical, developmental, it can be a health condition… We welcome any disabilities at all.”
“That happiness just flows from her. So it’s hard to not have a smile on your face when you’re around Libby," Special Olympics swim coach Milissa Greene said.
Her coworkers know she’s a champ in the pool. And now more than half a million people online know, too. After Libby won another gold and broke her own personal record by 23 seconds at the state summer games a few weeks ago, the pride couldn’t help but show through.
“I did make sure they were happy tears… I wasn’t sure. Once she confirmed that it was just a celebration," Greene said.
“I don’t think she’s ever really done that. She may give a hug or a high five, but she’s never cried. It was good to see it," Libby's father, Joe said.
And that coach Libby’s embracing? Well that’s coach Eric. And these two have been friends for a long time.
“He’s a good coach. I met him a long time ago," Libby said. “I’m good. I broke records. Eric is proud of me also.”
“Libby and I go back to when we were middle school, high school-ish, and we swam on the same team," Lewis said. “It (Libby's gold medal reaction) was a little surprising to me. I didn’t expect her to break down. I was extremely proud of her and I know she was proud of herself. And I think that’s the gist of it. She was just so proud of herself she couldn’t contain it anymore.”
Libby’s gold medal moment is a reminder of what sports can be at their best. And what Cpecial Olympics can mean to the athletes, and to their families.
“They all celebrate each other. It’s other athletes celebrating each other. Other teams, other countries… they all just celebrate each other," Greene said.
“It’s everything to them. Everything. They get to feel like everybody else on an everyday basis when they do their sports," Lewis said.
And while the medals are nice, Libby has an even better way to sum up what her prowess in the pool really means.
"Swimming is my life," Libby said.
If you're interested in getting involved in the Special Olympics, you can visit the Special Olympics Missouri website, by clicking here.