Local resident brings home gold medal from USA Volleyball event

Published 2:19 pm Friday, June 8, 2018

DALLAS, TX- The Chief Appraiser of the Crisp County Board of Assessors, Sean Sammons, was recently out of town to compete in the USA Volleyball Open Nationals with his team from the Unified Special Olympics. Sean brought a gold medal back with him after he helped his team to a first place finish in their division.

“I was previously on the board of directors with the Kay Center in Fort Valley. It is a center that employs people with developmental disabilities, and they also manage the Special Olympic Games for the individuals in that area,” said Sean. “The Kay Center competes in both Unified Special Olympics and Traditional Special Olympics.”

The USA Volleyball Open Nationals event was held May 25-30 in Dallas, Texas, and featured teams from all over the country separated into different divisions, including the Unified Special Olympics division that Sean and his team took first place in.

“A unified sport is half Special Olympic athletes and half unified partners,” Sean explained. “I am considered a unified partner. I have volunteered with the Kay Center the past four years with volleyball, and this is the first time we’ve won gold in our division.”