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In addition to winning gold medals during the Iowa Special Olympics state tennis competitions, Fred Hines is virtually undefeated as a checkers player.
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By Kevin Nebergall, special to USTA.com
Being the star of the Cedar Rapids Special Olympics tennis team taps into just one of Fred Hines's many talents. In addition to winning gold medals during the Iowa Special Olympics state tennis competitions, he is virtually undefeated as a checkers player, against other students and against staff, according to one of his former junior high school instructors. He has competed in Special Olympics successfully in basketball, softball, volleyball, snow skiing, gymnastics and bike riding earning a total of 102 Special Olympics medals.
In addition, Fred has the ability to make friends with all the people with whom he plays tennis as partners and against, the people he meets both on and off the court, and with those he defeats in checkers.
Fred’s partners, teammates, and opponents all recognize his sportsmanship and congenial manners. Never at a loss for words, Fred has an opinion and a story for all occasions. His patience might be mistaken for a lack of urgency or awareness of time, but he likes to measure his speech and his tennis strokes.