Special Olympics is a community for DP resident

Special Olympics swimming national champion Alex Endre will compete in her first-ever Pickleball Invitational May 5 to 6.

ANDREA MUJICA STAFF WRITER

Dr. Phillips resident Alex Endre, 31, has been involved in Special Olympics since she was 9 years old. Her first sport was swimming.

“I think Mom probably picked it for her because it was something she knew how to do,” mom Karen Endre said. “It was a sport that I knew she could do. At 9, I didn’t know if it was something feasible, so we were doing an individual skill, and I knew she could swim.”

Alex Endre — who has Down syndrome — has been involved in many different sports as part of Special Olympics over the years: swimming, basketball, track and field, bowling and, most recently, pickleball.

“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s my first time (trying) it.”

This year, Alex Endre is registered to compete in the Special Olympics Pickleball Invitational, which will take place May 5 and 6 at the USTA National Campus, 10000 USTA Blvd., Orlando.

“It’s a hard sport,” Karen Endre said. “Some of the sports she has done are not as physically active. And so, a lot of kids — or adults — with Down syndrome tend to have poor muscle tone, so sports where she can be more active are really good for her physically … like swimming and pickleball.”

The mother-daughter duo practice once a week as they have pickleball courts in their neighborhoods. Alex Endre also