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Nester Celebrates 30th Birthday in Style With 7 Gold Medals at Special Olympics
By Bill Alden
Many people dread their 30th birthday but not Robert Nester.
Earlier this month, Nester approached his 30th with aplomb, determined to vault, tumble, and twirl himself to success in the gymnastics competition of the New Jersey Special Olympics Summer Games at The College of New Jersey.
The longtime Princeton-area resident left the competition with some extra birthday presents as he earned seven gold medals.
For Nester, his medal haul was the latest chapter in his long history of success at Special Olympics which began when he competed in track and field at age eight.
Recalling his special birthday effort, Nester was happy to spend the day in competition. "I feel happy," said Nester, who has Down syndrome. "I'm not nervous."
When he is competing, Hester's focus is on his routine. "I do my cartwheels, my squat and handstand," said a smiling Nester, who punctuates his conversation with frequent bursts of laughter. "I like my routine."
Nester hones his skills with the Reality in Motion program which is based in Pennington. He typically does one two-hour session a week with that group. Nester has advanced to the point where he is the only Level 3 gymnast in the New Jersey Special Olympics program (There are four levels in gymnastics with Level 1 requiring the least difficult moves and Level 4 requiring the highest level of skill.)
The indefatigable Nester also works on general conditioning with sessions three times a week at the Princeton branch of the New York Sports Club (NYSC).
As with his gymnastics, Nester has created quite a routine with his NYSC workouts. "I use the bike, I use the weights, I do the treadmill," said Nester earnestly. "Then I take a shower and I go to the steam room."
Nester's success is due to more than his diligent routines, according to his mother, Joan Nester.
"He always excels at competition," said Mrs. Nester, who notes that her son also competes in the Special Olympics' fall, winter, and spring games. "He wants to do his best whenever he's competing."
Stuart Altschuler, one of the coaches with the Reality in Motion program, will tell you that Nester knows how to rise to the occasion.
"The thing about Robert is that when it's time to compete and the people are in the stands and the judges are scoring, he turns his level up several notches," said Altschuler, who has been working with Nester for three years. "He puts on a game face. He's clearly one who brings his best effort in competition."
Nester's involvement with the Special Olympics program is not confined to competition. He is a member of the group's Athletes Congress and he serves as "Global Messenger."
"The Athletes Congress includes people nominated as representatives of the other athletes," explained Mrs. Nester, noting that her son is also involved in the Boy Scouts and has reached the level of Life Scout.
"They make decisions and recommendations on behalf of the athletes. As a Global Messenger, Robert talks to groups and presents information about him and why he likes the Special Olympics."
In Altschuler's view, Nester has made a special impact on both his team and the Special Olympics program in general.
"He is the oldest gymnast on the team and he's asserted himself as a leader," noted Altschuler.
"He leads by example. He recognizes that he is the oldest and that requires an extra responsibility. He also has a great rapport with the other athletes. I've seen him at competitions, he knows so many athletes to go up and shake hands with. He has introduced me to a lot of athletes and coaches."
In Mrs. Nester's view, the Special Olympics set the rhythm for her son's year, athletically and socially.
"He's been very active and he is interested in doing different things," said Mrs. Nester, who pointed out that her son is a longtime acolyte at the Trinity Cathedral Episcopal Church in Trenton. "He's made friends through Special Olympics that he has had for years. A big part of it is going away for a weekend. He loves to see his friends."
Clutching his seven gold medals from the Summer Games, Nester made it clear that he enjoys the tangible reward from those quarterly competitions.
"My drawers are full of medals, I don't know how many I have," he said with a broad grin when asked to estimate how many medals he has won over the years.
It's no wonder that Nester looked forward to hitting his 30th birthday.
