From Swimmer to Teacher

How Amanda Coviello Is Helping Others Find Confidence in the Water

October 4, 2026

When Amanda Coviello first joined Special Olympics New Hampshire, she was looking for a place where she belonged.

Like many young athletes, Amanda wanted to participate in sports, but traditional recreation programs weren’t always the right fit.

“Amanda joined Special Olympics when she just couldn’t keep up with town rec sports,” recalled her mother, Sue Coviello. “She felt like she didn’t belong because she couldn’t keep up.”

That could have been the end of the story.

Instead, it was the beginning.

Through Special Olympics, Amanda found more than sports. She found teammates, confidence, friendships, and opportunities to grow. Over the years, she became involved in multiple sports, developed as a swimmer, and became involved in SONH’s Athlete Leadership Program, developing the confidence to share her story and advocate for herself and fellow athletes.

Looking back, Sue says the biggest transformation has been Amanda’s confidence.

“I think what I have seen the most is her confidence,” she said. “From feeling like she wasn’t fitting in to being a valued member of a team. Taking each challenge in stride. Speaking as a Global Messenger and sharing her story has always made me so proud.”

That growth didn’t happen overnight.

“There were challenges from the very first year,” Sue said. “From the extremely rough first year and the challenges that brought to being a swim instructor. WOW!”

Today, Amanda’s journey has come full circle.

What began as learning to swim has become a way to help others discover their own confidence in the water.

Amanda now teaches adaptive swim lessons at the Concord YMCA, working alongside YMCA staff to support swimmers as they learn new skills and become comfortable in the pool.

For Amanda’s coach and co-teacher, Alex Decato, watching that evolution has been remarkable.

“Amanda didn’t just learn to swim at the YMCA; she grew into herself in the water and turned into a fish!” Alex said. “She started with quiet one-on-one private lessons, then found her confidence on the Special Olympics team, and fought her way to the podium again and again and again.”

But Amanda’s accomplishments as an athlete are only part of what makes her story special.

“What makes her story unforgettable is what she chose to do next,” Alex said. “She turned her own victories into a path for others, learning to teach adaptive swim lessons so swimmers facing similar circumstances could feel that same spark of possibility and joy she once did and still feels today.”

That impact reaches beyond swimming lessons.

Every time Amanda steps onto the pool deck, she represents something bigger. She shows young swimmers, families, and community members what is possible when someone is given the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed.

Sue sees that impact firsthand.

“What strikes me most about Amanda is her joy in what she is doing, helping others learn to do something she loves,” she said.

She also believes Amanda is teaching lessons that go far beyond swimming.

“I often think that Amanda teaching with her speech difficulties will make her students be more accepting as they grow up,” Sue said. “She will tell her students, ‘When you don’t understand me, just ask me to repeat it. I came wired this way.'”

In those moments, Amanda isn’t just teaching swimming techniques. She’s teaching patience, understanding, and inclusion.

She’s helping young people see that disabilities do not define a person’s abilities, leadership, or potential.

For Special Olympics New Hampshire, Amanda’s story reflects the power of sport to transform lives. Sports provided a place where she could grow, challenge herself, and build confidence. Today, she’s taking everything she learned and using it to help others discover those same opportunities.

And she’s still finding new ways to challenge herself.

In addition to swimming and teaching, Amanda has been horseback riding since she was 12 years old. Recently, she competed at a horse show in Vermont with her horse, Maverick, bringing home ribbons and creating new memories along the way. She has also competed in Special Olympics equestrian events with Maverick multiple times.

Whether she is in the pool, at the barn, or representing athletes as a Global Messenger, Amanda continues to make an impact wherever she goes.

Having watched her journey unfold, Alex believes her story is far from over.

“Having Amanda on our team shows everyone what it means to be positive and push yourself to new heights,” he said. “She is an amazing team member and I can’t wait to see what she does next.”

For Amanda, what started as a search for belonging has become something much greater: a chance to help others find their own confidence, one swimmer at a time.