Special Olympics Wisconsin Athlete Leader and Manitowoc native Travis Stuckart has been named to the U.S. Athlete Leadership Council (USALC), representing the North Central Region. He was welcomed to this two-year term at an inauguration meeting this July.
The USALC is a council of athlete leaders who represent Special Olympics athletes throughout the United States. Comprising eight regional members—each representing a different multi-state region—and up to four at-large members, the USALC gathers athlete feedback for Special Olympics North America and its related official national councils, committees, and task forces on issues affecting Special Olympics athletes at the national or world level.
Stuckart, who has been a Special Olympics Wisconsin athlete for 34 years and Athlete Leader for 22 of those years, has served in several statewide, regional, and national training roles including Global Messenger, Athletes as Coaches, and other Athlete Leadership programming. He has been to two World Games as an athlete, helped train members of local and national Boards of Directors, sat on committees for Special Olympics Wisconsin staff and Board interviews, represented Special Olympics Wisconsin at North America Invitational and USA Games as an Athlete Coach, and served as a US Representative to the Global Athlete Congress in Panama.
“I am very excited to be part of the USA ALC for the North Central region and be the voice for the athletes,” Stuckart said. “I am a people person, I like working with others and I will work well with others on the USA ALC. I have my own opinions but I am always willing to listen to others and compromise and come together.”
The USALC advocates for athletes from across the United States, ensuring they have a say in what is going on within the Special Olympics movement.
As stated in the council charter: “The USALC is proof that we as athletes can do more than play sports in Special Olympics—we can provide valuable feedback to make Special Olympics the best organization it can be. Decisions made within Special Olympics affect all of us as athletes, and we work hard to ensure athletes’ voices are heard at the highest levels of the organization.”
The USALC North Central Region consists of all Special Olympics programs from North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Visit the Special Olympics Athlete Leadership page for more information.