By Shannon McMahon

“When was the last time you felt like you ran like a thunderbolt?”

Upper Arlington resident Tom Morgan would like to know. For him, that adrenaline rush and the on-top-of-the-world feeling are experienced on the softball diamond every summer. Morgan coaches the Franklin County Flyers Navy “Thunderbolts” team in the Special Olympics.

Morgan is a father of four and an attorney by profession. He began coaching softball with the Special Olympics eight years ago when he was looking for a new volunteer opportunity. He enlisted the help of two of his daughters’ friends, David Merrell and Bryan England. Both Merrell and England were young men with experience in Division I college sports, Morgan says, and he knew they’d be willing to help him coach. He hasn’t looked back since.

“The team really has a lot fun. A lot of the fun comes from David and Bryan,” Morgan says. “They are really special guys. They’re like second sons.”

Their team is officially called the Franklin County Flyers Navy. They are one of three Franklin County Flyers teams in the area (the other teams are White and Gold). Their season runs from June to September and, out of choice – “because we have so much fun,” Morgan says – the team practices twice a week. The athletes range from 16 to 55 years old, and Morgan has seen many of them come back year after year to play.

“For many, it is the highlight of their lives,” he says.

The “Thunderbolts” part of the name was the team’s own addition a few years ago. According to Morgan, a team member named Jason hit a single and ran full speed, making it safely to first base. He then turned to the first base coach and said, “I run like a thunderbolt!”

The “thunderbolt” story is one of dozens Morgan has to share about his past and present athletes. Each of them, he has learned, has individual needs. Many come from urban areas and have pasts filled with poverty and unstable home life, including verbal, emotional and physical abuse. Morgan says they are one of the most challenged teams.

“Someone who has all of those reasons not to come out and compete, but who does, must be strong at heart,” he says. “They are brave for taking a chance, they’re enthusiastic and they have the fortitude to compete.”

Practices are his teams’ favorite part of the season, Morgan says: they provide an opportunity to work on skills, to learn about each other and to establish team trust. His encouraging coaching style during practices has helped him form close relationships with the athletes. The team has become a safe space for all of them, he says, and their team motto “No worries” extends to everyone involved.

Morgan acknowledges the athletes sometimes feel frustrated, but maintains success is all about perspective. These players have progressed as athletes and individuals, and Morgan says their achievement is visible in their ability to laugh and have fun regardless of the score.

Morgan’s work as a Special Olympics coach was recently recognized by The Agonis Club of Columbus. The club named him as the Jimmy Crum /Dr. Frank Sobolewski Coach of the Year of athletes with a disability, an award he’s honored to receive.

Still, Morgan says he is most excited about returning to the field for another season.

“It’s rewarding, for a number of reasons,” he says. “I’m the fortunate one — David, Bryan, and I are the fortunate ones.”

Shannon McMahon is a contributing writer for Upper Arlington Magazine.