From Young Athletes to Unified Partners

A Full-Circle Moment for Rob and Teagan McNally

September 23, 2026

In 2018, the McNally family took two different paths into Special Olympics New Hampshire.

For two-year-old Teagan McNally, it meant joining Young Athletes and taking her first steps into sports.

For her father, Rob McNally, it meant getting involved with the Law Enforcement Torch Run through the Hudson Police Department and participating in the Law Enforcement Dip for the very first time.

Neither knew it at the time, but those first steps would grow into a journey that would touch nearly every part of their lives. Over the next eight years, Special Olympics would become a place where Teagan found confidence and belonging, where Rob deepened his commitment to community service, and eventually, where father and daughter would stand side-by-side as teammates.

Growing Up with Special Olympics

When Teagan started Young Athletes, there wasn’t yet a local program in Hudson, so the family drove to Manchester for practices.

Since then, Special Olympics has been a constant presence in her life.

Today, Teagan competes with the Hudson Special Olympics team in track and field, bowling, basketball, and golf. While she’s grown older and tried new sports, one thing has remained the same: her enthusiasm and competitive spirit.

“She’s stubborn, outgoing, energetic, very funny, and she likes to compete,” Rob said with a laugh. “She’s definitely got a competitive edge.”

As Teagan grew from a Young Athletes participant into a member of the Hudson Special Olympics team, she embraced the change with the same enthusiasm she brings to everything she does.

“She’s so friendly,” Rob said with a laugh. “She’ll force you to meet her.”

Her outgoing personality made it easy to build friendships and become part of the team, opening the door to new sports, new experiences, and a growing sense of belonging.

One of the biggest surprises has been seeing how seriously she approaches competition.

“With a lot of other things, she might get distracted or lose interest,” Rob said. “But on the day of an event, she’s laser focused. She wants to compete, and she’ll spend the whole day there.”

For Rob and his wife, Special Olympics provided something they hadn’t always found elsewhere.

“It was easier for her to feel included and for people to recognize what she’s capable of,” he said. “Sometimes in community rec leagues, it’s easy to feel pushed to the side.”

Instead, Teagan found a community that celebrated her abilities, encouraged her growth, and gave her opportunities to succeed.

Supporting Athletes Through the Torch Run

While Teagan was growing up in Special Olympics, Rob was becoming more involved through the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

His first exposure came through fellow officers at the Hudson Police Department who shared stories about volunteering at Winter Games and supporting athletes throughout the year.

“They talked about how great it was,” Rob said. “It was an easy sell.”

In 2018, he participated in his first Winni Dip Weekend. By 2019, he was volunteering at Winter Games, helping support the awards area for category 2 snowshoe competition, a tradition Hudson Police Department has embraced for years.

Over time, his involvement expanded. He helped organize fundraising efforts, recruit fellow officers, and eventually took on a leadership role coordinating many of the department’s Special Olympics activities.

One of the traditions he is most proud of is Hudson PD’s annual Mega Dip participation.

What started as just a handful of officers taking multiple cold-water plunges over a 24-hour period has grown into a major fundraising effort involving 10 to 15 officers from their department annually.

The group has completed their annual Mega Dip everywhere from Lake Winnipesaukee to a pond in Milton to the Atlantic Ocean, all while raising thousands of dollars for Special Olympics athletes.

“It’s become a team-building thing, too,” Rob said. “We don’t get together a ton outside of work, so it’s an opportunity to do something together while supporting Special Olympics.”

The connection runs deep within the department and it’s clear that Special Olympics is woven into the fabric of the Hudson Police Department.

That culture was built by generations of officers, including longtime LETR supporters who helped introduce Rob to the movement and inspired him to continue growing their department’s involvement.

Seeing Special Olympics From Both Sides

From the beginning, Rob was involved in Special Olympics from two perspectives: as a law enforcement officer supporting athletes through LETR and as the father of a young athlete finding her place in the movement.

As Teagan grew older and became more involved in sports, those two worlds began to overlap in a deeper way.

“Seeing it from both sides makes you realize how important these events are for the athletes,” he said. “For them, many of these competition are like their version of the Super Bowl.”

As Teagan became more involved, Rob saw firsthand what competitions meant to athletes and families, from the excitement leading up to an event to the pride that comes from stepping onto the track, bowling lane, or golf course.

He also gained a deeper appreciation for the volunteers, donors, and law enforcement officers who make those experiences possible.

Now when he talks to fellow officers about supporting Special Olympics, he doesn’t just talk about fundraising numbers or volunteer hours.

He can tell them what those efforts mean to families like his own.

“I’ve seen the behind-the-scenes work that goes into everything,” he said. “I understand the impact on the athletes and families. I know how much it means when law enforcement presents an athlete with a medal.”

That perspective has become part of the Hudson Police Department’s culture as well. When new officers join the department, Special Olympics involvement is introduced as part of the department’s commitment to community policing and community engagement.

A Full-Circle Moment on the Golf Course

This summer, Rob’s Special Olympics journey took a turn he never expected.

When Teagan signed up for Unified Golf, she needed a Unified partner.

Without hesitation, Rob volunteered.

“I figured, why not?” he said. “It was the perfect event for me to compete alongside her.”

The two practiced together whenever they could, making trips to Whip-Poor-Will Golf Course, hitting golf balls in the field behind their home, and even playing mini golf to sharpen their putting skills.

For Rob, the experience felt different from anything he had done before.

After years of helping organize events, support athletes, and present awards, he was suddenly standing on the other side as a competitor.

“It was kind of cool to see that full circle,” he said. “Usually I’m on the side of organizing things. This time I got to be part of the experience.”

This summer, Rob and Teagan teamed up for the five-hole Unified Golf event at the State Golf Tournament in Ashland, bringing home a silver medal.

While Rob admits Teagan was determined to come home with hardware, the medal wasn’t what made the day memorable.

For Rob, the medal wasn’t what made the day memorable. The most meaningful moment came at the end of the competition, when he looked over and realized he was standing beside his daughter not as a spectator, volunteer, or parent, but as her teammate.
It was a full-circle moment years in the making.

The little girl who had started in Young Athletes at age two was now standing beside her dad as a teammate.

“She’s grown up with Special Olympics,” Rob said. “I remember her doing little activities in Young Athletes, and now we’re out on the golf course competing together. It’s amazing to see.”

And if Teagan has anything to say about it, it won’t be their last tournament together.

“Absolutely,” Rob said when asked if more Unified Golf is in their future. “As long as Teagan wants to do it.”

Just Take the First Step

When Rob reflects on what Special Olympics has meant to his family, he comes back to one thing: opportunity.

For Teagan, it created a place where she could compete, build friendships, and be celebrated for who she is.

For Rob and his wife, it provided a welcoming community and the peace of mind that came with knowing their daughter belonged.

“It took a lot of the weight and worry away,” he said.

Looking back, he has simple advice for families who may be considering Special Olympics for their child.

“Just take that first step,” he said. “Go to one practice or one event. The first time might be nerve-wracking because you don’t know what to expect but it’s so worth it.”

For the McNally family, that first step led to friendships, opportunities, and experiences they could never have imagined.

“It’s so easy to realize, ‘I can do this, and my kid can do this.’ Every athlete can find something that interests them once they’re in the door.”

For the McNally family, that first step happened in 2018.

One journey began with a little girl joining Young Athletes. Another began with a police officer taking a dip into icy water.

Years later, those paths met on a golf course, where a father and daughter stood together as teammates, proving that Special Olympics isn’t just about sports.

It’s about the connections, confidence, and community that grow along the way.