The extra work David Schoettler put in on the tennis court paid off with a bronze medal at the Southern California Special Olympics Fall Games.
Schoettler was honored Monday as the local Special Olympics Athlete of the Month at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon.
“He was our most improved tennis player,” said coach Liz Frech of Schoettler. “At the end of last season, he promised he would be fit and fiery for this season. And that he was.
“He came early to practice to hit with our young coaches from the high school teams and stayed late to hit more.”
Schoettler played doubles during the regular season and won all his matches.
At the Fall Games, he played singles and took the bronze medal.
Schoettler has participated in Special Olympic competitions for the past 20 years in Texas and California. He’s been with the Santa Barbara region for the last three years.
In other news, Tim Philibosian, regional manager of Southern California Special Olympics, reported that Carpinteria’s Brian Medel was honored as the Regional Soccer Coach of the Year at the Fall Games.
Medel has been involved with Special Olympics for more than 10 years and does a variety of things for the organization, said Philibosian.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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