Special Olympian’s Goal Is To Inspire Others
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioSports.com
Above Photo: Chris Lauzon (centre) receives congratulations for his Gold medal-winning performance at the Special Olympics North America golf championship. Photo: Special Olympics.
When we envision heroes, we often point to internationally-acclaimed men and women who have reached enormous heights in the areas of athletics, medicine, politics and peace. Yet most of our heroes are our neighbours who touch the lives of many while simply living their lives to the fullest.
My biggest thrill over more than 45 years of sports journalism has been meeting local heroes, many of whom are unassuming everyday people whose greatness often goes unnoticed. All-time great Hall of Fame fullback and humanitarian Jim Brown once quipped, “Many good deeds are done and few people know about them. But if you’re doing good things and don’t care about publicity, then you’re doing it for the right reason.”
Chris Lauzon teeing off at the 2024 Special Olympics North America golf championship in Kansas. Photo: Special Olympics.
London Special Olympics athlete Chris Lauzon doesn’t care about publicity for his many accomplishments on and off the playing field, but he is one of my heroes. When you learn about his story, here’s betting you’ll consider him a hero, too.
LondonOntarioSports.com – London’s Trusted Source for Sports News & Information – this year awards Special Olympics golf and floor hockey champion Chris Lauzon with the 10th annual Jeffrey Reed Courage Award for 2025.
As a disabled athlete living with numerous skeletal deformities, I have spent most of my life competing against able-bodied athletes. In 2000 and 2001, I accomplished what most people said was impossible: I pitched and coached with the London Majors of the semi-professional Intercounty Baseball League. Later, I became a golf professional and long-time brand ambassador for Wilson Golf.
In late-2015, my wife, Elizabeth, and I established the Jeffrey Reed Courage Award – presented by LondonOntarioSports.com – in order to inspire athletes with my story, and to allow them to tell their own stories of courage to a large audience. For a 10th year, the Courage Award presents $1,000 in cash and prizes, including a Titleist golf bag, plus a commemorative plaque to a Southern Ontario athlete displaying courage on and off the playing field. Since 2004, LondonOntarioSports.com and partner publication LondonOntarioGolf.com have surpassed $150,000 in charitable giving.
Becoming A Champion
Lauzon, 40, lives with an intellectual disability and has competed in floor hockey and golf with Special Olympics Ontario – London for more than 20 years. He also competes in baseball with the local Special Olympics Vipers team.
Chris Lauzon with coach/caddy/support worker Todd DeSilva. Photo: Special Olympics.
Becoming a champion is a process, and the road to success on the playing field has been just that for Lauzon, who in June 2023 received the Murray Faulkner Sportsperson of the Year Award at the Special Olympics Ontario Athlete Awards Banquet.
In late-October 2024, Lauzon won the Gold medal at the Special Olympics North America golf championship in Wichita, Kansas where he erased a four-stroke deficit heading into the final round to shoot a 9-hole score of 62 and claim a five-shot victory. He beat four other golfers in the Level Four event. Lauzon competed in that event back in 2015 and did not medal, so he trained even harder for this year’s championship.
“The second day (with a round of 68) was my bad day with high winds, and I just couldn’t get my shots down,” said Lauzon. “Thursday was a reset day, and I (had) an amazing finish.”
That process of learning how to win in sports saw a huge jump for Lauzon in early-March 2024, when he and his teammates with the London Blazers – representing Ontario at the Special Olympics – Canada Winter Games in Calgary – won Gold in floor hockey. As a golfer, perhaps witnessing how a team can overcome adversity helped him as an individual athlete on the links.
Chris Lauzon (with medal, second from right) and his London Blazers teammates. Photo: Special Olympics.
At those Winter Games, the Blazers’ starting netminder was out sick and three starters were injured as the squad battled Manitoba in the semifinal match. But Lauzon, one of the original players on the 2004-founded team, said, “We knew we didn’t come this far just to give up.” The Ontario squad won, 3-2. Said Lauzon, “It was crazy. They put the pressure on us and we stopped them. We had to stop them.”
In the Gold medal game, the London squad beat Alberta, 4-1. After the win, coach Todd DeSilva said, “These guys have been a team for 15-20 years, and this is the first time they went to nationals. We had guys out sick, injured and we played shorthanded in the semifinals to get to the final. They played like nobody’s business and the results speak for themselves. I’m so unbelievably proud to coach them and help them achieve their goals.”
Returning to London International Airport, the Blazers were met by more than 100 family members, friends and supporters. “Goosebumps, goosebumps,” is what Lauzon felt at that homecoming.
“I have really enjoyed being with Special Olympics for over 20 years, and being in multiple provincial games for floor hockey and golf,” Lauzon said. “Winning Gold in floor hockey was one of my biggest achievements. But my biggest individual achievement was winning the golf championship in Kansas. Coming back from four shots behind and winning by five shots was amazing.”
Living Life To The Fullest
Chris Lauzon accepts the Courage Award from Jeffrey Reed. Photo: LondonOntarioSports.com.
Despite the fact he is a Canadian and North American sports champion, Chris really shines off the playing field. On both stages, he never allows his intellectual disability to define him. Throughout his life, he has faced adversity – first, as a youngster, leaving his home in Saskatoon with his mother after she endured an abusive relationship, then in 2006 learning that his stepfather was killed by a drunk driver on Christmas eve.
Yet Lauzon’s infectious smile and laugh, bubbly personality, compassion for others and strong leadership skills are recognized by all, including his wife, Stacey, and their daughter, Khloe, 12, who lives with learning needs and plays floor hockey with George Bray Sports Association.
A leader and mentor, Lauzon is a valued employee at Idlewyld Inn & Spa. He is supported by employment services of Community Living London, who said at its social media platforms that his “dedication and hard work truly inspires possibilities. (His) success shines brightly, and (he has) made us all proud. Keep reaching for the stars!”
Never one to be complacent, Lauzon established the Guardians and Gladiators podcast, a Special Olympics-based show he co-hosts with DeSilva, another go-getter who is also his golf coach and caddy, supporter worker and the local Special Olympics public relations director.
“The podcast was all Chris’s idea,” DeSilva explained. “Chris is a big sports guy – he has sports facts at his fingertips. He first enlisted former police officer Derek Spence to help him launch Guardians and Gladiators. Derek then became busy with the Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run (the largest public awareness vehicle and grassroots fundraiser for Special Olympics). So Chris asked via Facebook if anyone could help him with the podcast, and I decided to jump in and help take it to the next level.”
“I sometimes miss my Special Olympics friends and teammates, so I decided to create Guardians and Gladiators,” said Lauzon of his podcast. “I hope I inspire my community with the podcast. I like telling people what Special Olympics is all about. The podcast means a lot to me.”
“Chris does not know the word, ‘No.’ He’s very driven and always wants to be the best he can be, no matter what he is doing,” explained DeSilva. “He loves talking with people. He’s a leader and he knows what he wants to accomplish in life. He’s an inspiration to everyone.”
DeSilva said Lauzon asked him to be his support worker, and now they “hang out once or twice a week – I’m like his life coach. One of the things he has always wanted to do was write a short story, so we did that. Doing things like that help grow his confidence.”
Making Our Community Great
A high five with Chris Lauzon (right) at the Special Olympics North America golf championship. Photo: Special Olympics.
Rick Walker, who has been involved with Special Olympics Ontario – London and George Bray Sports Association for more than 30 years, has been a friend of Lauzon’s for 25 years. He called him “very competitive – a mover and a shaker. Chris found something with Special Olympics – it’s his social network, and his home, a place where he can inspire others. He isn’t held back by anything.”
Walker’s son, James, is a standout Special Olympics weightlifter and a member of the Blazers floor hockey squad.
“Chris is very well liked by everyone, including his teammates,” Walker added. “He always takes the initiative when he has an idea, and we put him together with people like Todd who can help him achieve his goals, like creating his podcast. Chris has also matured a lot – being a father did that, and he loves connecting with his daughter.
“Chris never gives up,” Walker added. “He gives everything his all. And he is also a very compassionate person. When his friend, Kevin, lost his father, Chris helped him get through the loneliness of not having a father. Chris spoke compassionately to him, saying, ‘Life goes on.’ People like Chris are who make our community great.”
An avid sports fan, Lauzon loves cheering for his favourite golfer, Rory McIlroy, and his beloved Detroit Red Wings. But nothing makes him happier than promoting Special Olympics.
“I like the mission of the Jeffrey Reed Courage Award,” said Lauzon, “and I look forward to being a Courage Award ambassador. What Jeff did with the London Majors and golf is amazing! I love competing with Special Olympics – my teammates and coaches, we are all a band of brothers! I just hope I can continue to inspire others.”
In fact, in life we are all a band of teammates. And we’re all fortunate enough to have people like Chris Lauzon lead the way.
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LondonOntarioSports.com publisher and editor Jeffrey Reed has covered sports in Southwestern Ontario since 1980. A three-time author, writer, photographer, broadcaster and public speaker, Reed has captured eight Canadian and American awards for excellence in sportswriting. A disabled athlete, Reed pitched and coached with the London Majors of the semi-professional Intercounty Baseball League, and worked as a golf professional and brand ambassador for 14 years with Wilson Golf. Reach him at jeff@londonontariosports.com.
