"Tai chi is a walking meditative dance."
-Sue Narwicz Sherwood
The first thing you will notice about Sue is her sparkling smile and kind eyes. Originally from Long Island, New York, she joined the Windward YMCA Tai Chi Ohana in 2011.
The oldest of five, Sue practiced compassion and caring from small kid time. She remembers Sunday family visits to a beloved sister in a care home throughout her childhood.
Her big heart and awareness of individuals with special needs guided Sue toward Columbia University and her rewarding career in psychology. Over the years, Dr. Sherwood worked in Franklin County, Ohio and Hawaii’s Department of Health.
Now, she is on a health and nutrition journey and volunteers with Special Olympics leading the behavioral health portion of Healthy Athletes. The Strong Minds Program addresses standard sports psychology issues—stress, visualization,and performance concerns—as well as compassion and supporting others.
"Special Olympics is always looking for volunteers," she adds cheerily. If interested in volunteering for Hawaii Special Olympics Healthy Athlete programs,contact Sue at susan.narwicz@gmail.com. The Strong Minds one-day event—on Saturday, May 30, 2020—will teach the athletes simple stress management strategies for their athletic events and everyday life.
When she is not practicing tai chi and tai chi fan on Fridays, Sue pursues tennis, yoga, gardening, and traveling. Once, she saw tai chi practice in a park in China.
She loves spending time with family, especially her adorable grandchildren on Molokai. The kids’ mom, Sue’s daughter, is a school administrator there. Her son is a civilian contractor for the military.
Interviewed and written by Wendi Lau