Nathan Smalley: Special Olympian always moving with a mission

Nathan Smalley is always on the move, whether he’s excelling at sports as a Special Olympian or taking steps toward increasing independence.

One of his greatest passions — rebuilding and restoring classic cars — is all about motion. He hopes to one day own his own business where he’ll work on the vintage vehicles he loves.

Now an apartment-dweller, Smalley is headed toward first-time home ownership with the help of Habitat for Humanity. He has a job he enjoys, and he will be representing the U.S. in Alpine Skiing in the Special Olympics World Games in Austria in 2017.

He recently sat down with The Press and talked about his life and his experiences with Special Olympics. His friend, Gretta Shay, accompanied him to the interview. Shay, who retired from teaching in the Coeur d’Alene School District, was Smalley’s teacher when he attended Borah Elementary as a child. Shay had a special education classroom at Borah and Smalley got involved in Special Olympics when Shay organized a swim team for her students.

Smalley went on to participate in Special Olympics in bicycling, softball and skiing. 

Seven years ago, Smalley lost his greatest advocate and support when his mother, Debbie K. Smalley, died.

But the things Debbie instilled in her son remain strong.

“Because of her, I’m not going to take no for an answer,” Smalley said. “If someone tells me, ‘Oh, Nathan can’t do that, or Nathan is not capable of doing that,’ well, I’ve got news for those people. Look where I’m going.’”

You’re always on the go, aren’t you?

I’m the type of person who just won’t sit still. I like to be outside. I’m more of a hands-on type of a person. I learn by experience. If you tell me something, I won’t grasp the concept of it. If you show me how to take an engine out of a car, from that point, I’ll be able to do it myself. All I need is a kick-start, and then I can do it on my own.

My theme is I like to keep going, and nothing is going to stop me from doing it.

When I did my first interview with Walmart in Post Falls, someone went along with me. When I went to an interview at the Walmart in Hayden, I went in on my own and did that interview on my own, and that’s the job I got.

As my counselors have told me, it takes two people to start something, and then it’s up to at least one of them to keep it going. As they say in the Special Olympics, the flame has to keep going. You have to have a torch to keep it going. It’s called the Flame of Hope because without that flame, there’s no hope.

What do you do in your job at Walmart?

I’m a maintenance worker. My job is to keep up the store, make sure it’s clean, make sure it’s safe and healthy for the customers.

Do you think your desire to always keep moving forward and be independent has come, at least in part, from being involved in Special Olympics?

Yes. And I do want to say — Gretta Shay, Ralph Shay and Robert Smalley (brother) — they tell me to do what’s right for what I want to do. They don’t stop me. They don’t hold me back. They basically, you could almost say, it’s like having a quarterback on the football field. The coaches can’t intervene with that athlete, so the best thing they can do is yell from the sidelines, and that’s pretty much what my brother, Robert, Greta and Ralph Shay do. They tell me, from a distance, that I can do it, and that’s motivation.

Can you tell me a little about your mom?

Me and my mom were close. She raised four boys and one girl. But her time was kind of cut short. I think the real reason why God took her was so I can actually start doing things on my own, so I can be more independent.

So she was really there for you, did a lot for you.

Well, that’s what moms are for. She helped with Special Olympics. Because of her, she helped me get to where I’m at today. I had someone there to talk to, someone to be strong. Now that she’s not there, I have to look for other people.

Are you excited to be going to Austria to participate in the World Games?

In a way, I’m scared, but excited at the same time. Being away from home, my fear is getting stuck somewhere. But my brother, Robert Smalley, is going to be there in Austria, as a chaperone, to help me out.

I know you’re also excited to be participating in Habitat for Humanity, as a future homeowner. Can you tell me a little about that?

They help people with low income to actually own a home, people that can get a loan from the bank or a mortgage. They go out of their way to help build a home, and you have to help build the home yourself. You have to qualify.

Where are you at with Habitat for Humanity right now?

Well, right now, what I’m doing is financial classes. Basically, it’s classes to help me learn how to budget and take care of a home.

Is it interesting?

I actually enjoy it, because at the end, I get a house.

We know you love classic cars, but do you have a favorite type of car? One you think is really sweet?

If I had the money or the space, I would rebuild a 1969 Dodge Charger. It’s the RT 440 with a Hemi (high performance Chrysler engine.) I got that model from the General Lee.

Sounds like you have a lot of great things going for you. Do you have any other hopes or dreams of things you’d like to achieve?

I’m hoping sometime down the road there could also be a special person in my life, who could be a support, but most of the time I usually do things solo. But I’m not looking for that right now. That will come in the future. I’ll let God choose for me, because obviously he’s been choosing for me, and he’s been doing a lot of good deeds.