Athlete Spotlight: Liz Strong

Liz Strong is an optimist. She is a hard worker who loves her job, an amateur comedian who knows how to laugh at herself, and an athlete leader who sets a positive example both on the playing field and off.

Liz also happens to be blind — but that doesn’t stop her from seeing life in a positive light.

“I’ve learned that being blind doesn’t mean I can’t do the things I want to do,” she says.

Unlike many Special Olympics athletes, Liz was not born with a disability. Instead, she was the victim of a horrendous crime when she was shot in the head by a fellow teenager, leaving her to fight for her life in a coma.

When she woke up, she was sightless and paralyzed on her left side. But Liz was so glad to be alive that, for her own peace of mind, she decided to forgive the shooter. She now says that’s how she “got even” — and that positive attitude has served her well in the years since.

After recovering, Liz enrolled in the Indiana School for the Blind near her home in Indianapolis. It was there that a P.E. teacher suggested she join the local Special Olympics program at the age of 16, where she participated in bowling and track and field until graduation.

After taking a few years off and focusing on work, she joined Special Olympics Indiana’s Washington Township program in 2010. And though she continues to work 10-hour shifts three days a week, Liz has regularly competed in track and field, bowling, bocce, corn toss, and swimming.

Outside of sports, Liz is active in raising money and awareness for Special Olympics Indiana, taking part in the annual Butler University Polar Plunge for the past several years. She appreciates the help from the safety team that assists participants up and down the pool ladders at the plunge, but she and another athlete were inspired last year to make a change and to take the lead in replacing those difficult ladders with steps. The result was a safer, better, and more enjoyable experience for everyone.

Liz’s leadership efforts don’t end there, however, as she is currently studying communications in Special Olympics Indiana’s Athlete Leadership University. Her ultimate goal is to become a global messenger and to use her experiences, her incredible sense of humor, and her enduring optimism to be a self-advocate and to promote Special Olympics locally, nationally, and one day at the international level.

“Special Olympics is not just about sports to me,” she says. “This is family — come on, it’s the best thing you could ever do.”

Nominated by her coaches and selected by our Board of Directors as the 2020 Spirit of Special Olympics Indiana Athlete of the Year, Liz continues to impress and inspire everyone she meets with her strength and ability to see the good in any situation.