Amazing. It’s the word you’ll hear Robert ‘RJ’ Nealon use repeatedly when he speaks on his experiences as a member of Team Maryland at the 2010 USA Special Olympics National Games.

From Opening Ceremonies, to winning two gold medals in aquatics, to meeting athletes from around the country, to even privately touring the University of Nebraska football stadium with a group of Cornhuskers players, RJ goes back to one word to describe his trip: amazing.

RJ, a member of the SOMD-Upper Shore Program, was one of 37 athletes selected from Maryland to represent the state’s program at the 2010 USA National Games. From July 18-23, more than 2,800 athletes from 48 states, 1,000 coaches, and more than 50,000 family members, volunteers and spectators, descended upon Lincoln, Neb., for the quadrennial event.

And of all the athletes who attended the Games, certainly very few had a fan club that could rival RJ’s. Eight family members and friends of RJ made the trip from their hometown of Grasonville, Md. to Lincoln to cheer on the 16-year-old: RJ’s mom, Barb; dad Rob; sister Nicole; brothers Michael and Bryan; and two of his friends, Tyler and Randie.

“The whole experience, from the minute we got there until the minute we left, was phenomenal,” said R.J.’s mother, Barb. “The whole week sucked you right in and brought everyone together. You cheered for everyone, whether they came in first or last. I don’t think anyone can appreciate the impact of the games unless they were really there.”

A senior at Kent Island High School, RJ has participated in Special Olympics for five years. He competes in basketball and golf, and has even played football for Kent Island.  But RJ’s real talents are in the pool – which was certainly evident in Nebraska, where he captured two gold medals in the 100-meter and 50-meter freestyle, a fourth-place in the 25-meter freestyle, and a silver medal in the team freestyle relay.

RJ said he had butterflies walking into University of Lincoln-Nebraska’s Devaney Sports Center, the 13,595-seat multipurpose arena which housed the aquatics event. But he said as soon as stepped onto the blocks, his nerves went away. He did what he’d trained to do for the past year: he swam.

Putting on a performance that could rival Maryland’s own Michael Phelps, RJ won both his gold medals going-away.

“When I touched the wall and won my first gold medal, my stomach just went up,” said RJ. “I couldn’t believe that I had actually won a gold medal at the National Games. As soon as I got out of the pool I gave my dad a thumbs-up and gave my coach (Lynne Baker, from St. Mary’s County) a big high-five.”

Added Barb on the moment:  “When he won the medal, we were sitting up in the stands with the other parents from Team Maryland, and absolutely everyone was cheering him on. It was the best feeling in the world. It was just the best.”

There was plenty of fun to be had outside of the pool, too. At a bookstore on the University of Nebraska campus one morning, RJ began flirting with the store’s cashier, according to his mom.

The cashier was a student at the university and told RJ she knew some players on the Cornhuskers’ football team. Shortly thereafter, RJ received a phone call from some players themselves. They wanted to offer RJ and his family a tour of Memorial Stadium, the 86,000-seat complex home to the Nebraska football team.

RJ and his family couldn’t accept the offer fast enough and that afternoon were taking a private tour of the stadium with four Cornhuskers football players. The group went all over the stadium and visited the press room, the locker room, and even got to step foot on the field. RJ still keeps in touch with the bookstore employee who arranged the tour as well as the football players. Needless to say, the Nealon family will be cheering on Nebraska come fall.

RJ also keeps in touch with several other athletes he met on the trip, including members of Team Minnesota, which Team Maryland competed against in a friendly game of flag football during down time. If you’re wondering, Team Maryland won, according to RJ.

RJ also grew close to several members of Team Maryland. He even attended a cookout a few weeks after the games in St. Mary’s County at the invitation of his teammates he met at the event.

At the conclusion of the games, RJ was chosen to walk onto the floor and help carry the Maryland sign at the event’s Closing Ceremonies.  To top it off, on the flight back to BWI Airport—which also included members of Team New Jersey—RJ was selected to make an announcement over the plane’s cabin system.

Shortly thereafter, Team Maryland touched down at BWI Airport, ending the trip of a lifetime for RJ and his family. And while the trip may be over, the amazing memories RJ made will be with him forever.