It’s Ruth down to a tee
By DANIEL MARKHAM - Western Leader
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Don’t let her disability fool you.
Ruth O’Gorman is a multi-talented sportswoman who’s out to prove her golfing prowess at the Special Olympics New Zealand summer games.
The Te Atatu resident is no stranger to the event and has competed in gymnastics, roller skating, swimming and athletics.
But next month’s fixture at Palmerston North will be her first on the greens at that level and she can’t wait to step up to the first tee.
"I’m not nervous about it at all, I’m just excited," she says.
The 23-year-old is aiming for a gold medal but her mother Val says competing to the best of her ability will be enough of an achievement.
"We have a motto at the Special Olympics which goes: ‘Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.’
"Everyone is going for gold but if they don’t get there just doing their best is great."
Ruth, who has down syndrome, is a winner in every sense.
She was once the country’s top-ranked rhythmic gymnast and picked up a gold medal during an international meet in Australia.
She also enjoyed her first golfing success by striking gold in the North Island regional competition earlier this year.
Ruth first swung a golf club four years ago and has taken quickly to the game.
"She has been going to the Special Olympics for 15 years and has done a range of different sports," Val says.
"When she stopped doing athletics I wanted her to do an outside sport because at that stage she was doing rhythmic gym and swimming which were both inside.
"They were just introducing golf to New Zealand as a Special Olympics option so we decided to try it out."
The national summer games give participants the chance to compete against their peers from around the country and are held once every four years.
Competitors must have taken part in a regional event within the last 12 months and attended regular training sessions to qualify.
Ruth ticked both boxes with her success in Taupo and twice-weekly practices at the Full Swing golf shop in Henderson.
A good performance at the games could lead to bigger things.
"If you get a medal at nationals you can be selected for the worlds," Val says.
