As announced last summer, our very own MICC graduates Kayla (‘20, unified golf), Michael (‘24, soccer), and Aaron (‘24, soccer) were selected to join Special Olympics’ Team MN for the USA Games happening right here in the Twin Cities in June 2026! Read our previous blog post announcing their selection for Team Minnesota here and their fun-filled Treasure Island weekend with Team MN in September here.
So what are our participant athletes doing to prepare for the big event? Kayla has an exciting update! You may think it would be tough to train in the brutal Minnesota winter, but that’s no issue for Kayla! Her parents are currently living in Florida and she flew down in December to visit, celebrate the holidays, and practice her golf skills in the warm Florida weather. And she got some additional help from Katie Dahl!
Katie Dahl is a nationally recognized golf instructor & pro at the West Bay Club, a private golf course in Florida. She is originally from Rochester, MN! Katie is a friend of Kayla’s mom Kathleen, and as a favor is giving Kayla lessons this winter. Katie was recently featured in Golf Digest magazine, often makes instructional videos for the LPGA, and has been named a top golf instructor multiple years in a row! These special lessons are helping Kayla refine her skills just like the pros do.
Along with her dad and teammate Kurt, Kayla has been golfing locally every other day and going to the driving range on the days they aren’t golfing.
Kayla is looking forward to the USA Games coming up fast this summer! When asked why someone should consider participating in Special Olympics, Kayla shared, “You get to meet the other teams from other states. You get to interact with other people. There’s a lot of fun stuff to do. You get to actually have fun at the same time!”
Watch for more updates as our MICC athletes prepare for the big event!
See more photos of Kayla’s time in Florida: