SilVal Special Olympics athlete rides Kaiser Permanente Rose Parade Float

Stephanie Ching of Cupertino calls it her Christmas miracle----an invitation to ride on the Special Olympics float in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade January 1st. She is the only Northern California Special Olympics Athlete to ride on the float, which is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.
“I’m so excited,” says Stephanie, her face beaming with a smile. It’s the kind of smile she gets when she is seen winning another medal in the Special Olympics.
“She has so many medals, “says her mother Susana Ching, explaining why it may be taking Stephanie some extra time to find a few of them for a waiting photographer.
Stephanie has been a Special Olympics Athlete for 25 years now and yes, she has won multiple medals for her participation. She is also a member of the Special Olympics Board in Northern California, and recently, Stephanie was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.
“That’s me and Tara,” she says, proudly showing off a cell phone photo of her and Tara VanDerveer, Stanford’s winning women’s basketball coach and a fellow in the San Jose Hall of Fame.
Right now, Stephanie’s favorite sport is basketball, but she also loves floor hockey, tennis and swimming. When she’s not competing in Special Olympics, Stephanie swims and plays tennis with her father.
“She beats me regularly,” laughs her father Cesar Ching, who with Stephanie’s older brother Jonathan does volunteer coaching for Special Olympics. Dad also coaches Stephanie. “I don’t mind it when she beats me.”
Stephanie grins. “Dad taught me a lot but I still shout ‘yay’ and jump up-and-down when I beat him.”
She also outswims her father in 200 and 500 meter freestyle swimming matches. Stephanie averages 20 laps in 12 minutes.
“I never get tired,” she says.
Stephanie has been an “ambassador” for Special Olympics, meeting in Washington DC with politicians like Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and in Sacramento with Maria Shriver.
“Her family was active in the Special Olympics movement,” says Stephanie.
Stephanie and her family are all members of Kaiser Permanente and have their care at the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center. Her aunt Jenny is a nurse manager there, leading a special group of nurses who are working to reduce premature births. An uncle is a doctor at Kaiser Permanente Fresno. And health is part of Stephanie’s interest.
“I’m studying nutrition now in school,” she says.
Kaiser Permanente is a Founding Champion and Official Health Partner of the Special Olympics International Games in Southern California this year.
But for the Chings of Cupertino, Special Olympics is simply very important part of their lives and their daughter’s.
“I’ve watched Stephanie grow so much in Special Olympics, learning discipline, teamwork, communication and friends,” says Susannah.
Stephanie picks up with the Special Olympics motto: “Let me win,” she says forcefully, “but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”