GLASGOW, Ky. — When Troy Pickens picked up a golf club a few years ago with the Barren County Special Olympics team, he wasn’t thinking about national competition. This summer, however, he’ll tee it up on one of the biggest stages in Special Olympics sports.

Pickens, 35, will compete alongside James Cheely, who needs no introduction in local Special Olympics circles. Cheely has spent years around the program as a coach and parent, making him something of the team’s grizzled veteran.

The pair will compete in the 9-hole Unified Alternate Shot event at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis. In the format, a Special Olympics athlete and Unified partner compete as one team, alternating every shot until the ball finds the cup.

“We’ve been playing together for eight or nine years, at least,” Cheely said. “We’re excited about the chance to represent Barren County and Kentucky.”

That partnership has been forged through years of practices and tournaments, most recently at Fox Hollow Golf Club, where the pair has spent time preparing for the trip to Minnesota.

“We’re playing as a team. He becomes very dependent on me that I don’t mess up, and I become very dependent on him that he doesn’t mess up,” Cheely said. “We don’t consider it messing up. We just consider it leaving our partner with the challenge.”

The format demands trust. Every shot one player leaves behind becomes the other’s responsibility.

Cheely knows what awaits. He has attended the national games twice before, most recently in 2022, when he watched his sons, Bryan and Kevin, compete together in the same golf event.

Reaching that level requires success at the state level first.

“You have to have won at your division in the state of Kentucky in order to then be considered to go on to any other further levels of play,” Cheely said. “They then asked us if we would consider going to the USA games, and how long did it take us to think about it?”

“Yes!” Pickens said, laughing.

This summer, more than 3,000 athletes from across the country will gather at the University of Minnesota to compete in 19 sports at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.

The golf competition is designed to create balanced competition. After two days of practice rounds, golfers are placed into flights with others who have posted similar scores, ensuring athletes compete against players of comparable skill levels.

Pickens and Cheely will be among 86 members of Team Kentucky traveling to Minnesota. The delegation includes 52 athletes, along with coaches, staff members and Unified partners competing in sports ranging from bocce and bowling to swimming, track and field, flag football, gymnastics and Unified basketball.

The pair will leave Glasgow on June 18 and return June 27.

For Cheely, the trip represents another opportunity to serve a program that has become a major part of his life. For Pickens, it will be a series of firsts.

It will be his first flight, his first visit to Minnesota and his first opportunity to compete on the national stage.

“I’d love to play good,” Cheely said. “But I really want him to have a good time and experience things that not very many people in Barren County, Kentucky, have experienced.”

Pickens said he is most looking forward to having fun, meeting new people and taking in everything the week has to offer. He is also excited about the possibility of seeing Demi Lovato, who is expected to make an appearance.

The trip itself has been made easier through community support. Cheely said the Justin Thomas Foundation covered equipment and other necessities, while local businesses donated shirts and other items to help the pair represent Barren County during the Games.

That support reflects something Cheely has witnessed throughout his years with Special Olympics: people are often eager to help once they see the impact.

“It’s not hard to get involved with an organization like Special Olympics, where you know you make a difference,” Cheely said.

Pickens said he learned to play golf because he was “God’s special kid,” a sentiment that drew smiles from the coaches who have watched him grow through the program.

Among them is Greg Barnard, a fellow coach and Pickens’ father, who said volunteers like Cheely rarely receive the recognition they deserve.

“People don’t realize the time and effort,” Barnard said. “There’s really no downtime. James travels a lot, does a lot of work, and tries to get everything else done. I mean, this man deserves more credit.”

Cheely brushed aside the praise, saying Special Olympics has never felt like work, but rather something he is grateful to be part of.

“I’m passionate about this. It’s not a chore,” Cheely said, tears welling up in his eyes. “It’s a blessing that you are held responsible to do the best you can to present that passion to other people as well.”

The Barren County Flames, the local Special Olympics team, are always looking for additional support. Donations can be made to Barren County Special Olympics, care of James Cheely, 101 Hereford Lane, Glasgow, KY 42141. Those interested in participating can call 270-590-9013 or 270-576-4140.

For Cheely, the rewards of that work are difficult to put into words. Still, he tries.

“It changes me. I’m not expecting you to get the same level of commitment, excitement, passion that I have, but I hope somewhere in my presentation of what we do to people that you understand we are making a difference.”