Jeremiah Eddins has won dozens of gold medals in the 100-meter dash for special-needs athletes, but the memory his coach holds dearest is one in which Eddins purposely slowed up so a newfound friend could win.
“He’s too nice a guy,” chuckled Carl Gayle, longtime coach of the Discovery All Stars, a Natomas team for special-needs athletes in track, basketball, flag football, floor hockey and bowling. “Jeremiah has a heart of gold.”
Asked about the incident, Jeremiah, a 20-year-old student in the Adult Independent Living Skills program at Natomas High School, had a simple explanation. “I wanted him to win, too.”
Jeremiah, a finalist for induction this year in the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame as a Special Olympian, was honored by the NHS Independent Living Skills program Friday (Jan. 31) with a luncheon attended by Principal Mark Beebe, Coach Gayle, and Eddins’ parents, teacher and classmates. He has won 49 track-and-field medals in roughly eight years – and a table at the luncheon was filled with those awards and the colorful ribbons holding them.
“I feel like he holds the values of a person who should go in the (Sacramento Sports) Hall of Fame, just based on his dedication and his work ethic,” Gayle said of Jeremiah, who has come far in overcoming developmental challenges. Jeremiah is an outstanding shooting guard in basketball and he plays competitive flag football, too, Gayle added. “He’s always working out. And he’s a team player.”
To his longtime coach, Jeremiah exemplifies the Special Olympics credo, which is, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Joel Schwieger, who teaches the Adult Independent Living Skills program, described Jeremiah as ”outgoing, energetic and always willing to please. He’s a high achiever in class. I’m extremely proud of him.”
“He’s a very good guy – he’s my friend,” classmate Cyndy Isaac said simply.
Jeremiah’s parents, Nathaniel and Barbara Eddins, said that sports has contributed to their son’s confidence and created a lifelong passion to hone his athletic skills. His mother is quick to note that Eddins loves people and reaches out to others. “I’m proud of him for that,” she said.
Asked what he likes best about himself, Jeremiah didn’t hesitate.
“I never give up,” he said.
