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Many kids idolize sports heroes, dreaming of the day when they grow up to be the next Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning or Caitlin Clark.
Scott Lienard harbored no such ambitions. But he was drawn to sports at a young age through the voices of the game. The announcers. He tuned into their cadence and pitch, at the ripe old age of 6. He was particularly smitten by Paul Porter, the longtime voice of the Orlando Magic. And he was hooked.
“That's my guy,” Lienard says today. “Yeah, he started me down this road.”
Scott nurtured his ambitions with in-home training. He would turn off the sound on his sports video games and do the play-by-play. And he would tape sporting events and rewind them just to listen to the voice of the announcers.
Now 29, Lienard has carved his own niche in sports broadcasting. He isn’t nearly as famous as Porter, but his story resonates just as importantly as the voices of the game who inspired him.
Lienard was born with a learning disability, a condition that usually closes doors to many career aspirations. Not Lienard. His focus, determination and grit have allowed his voice to be heard.
He is the voice of the Oviedo High School and Seminole State College softball teams and recently worked a handful of games for the FHSAA state softball finals, hosted by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
Scott’s story doesn’t involve sympathetic handouts. It’s about his dedication and enthusiasm, and opportunities that came to fruition.
“Scott has had the good fortune of knowing what he wanted to do from a young age,” said his father, Kevin Lienard. “We’re just trying to figure out how to get him from point A to point B and getting those opportunities has been cool and rewarding.”
Scott’s career focus at such a young age was extremely important to the family. They asked him a simple question: “What do you want to do when you grow up?”
“Sports announcer!” he shot back immediately.
And so together, mom, dad and sister all became engaged in making Scott’s passion a reality.
“It's not an easy thing to break into, so trying to figure out, with his background and his situation, how do we make it work was our goal,” Kevin Lienard said.
Kevin approached officials with the Special Olympics Florida (which also has a long-standing relationship with the Greater Orlando Sports Commission), and they immediately bought in, assigning Scott to work games as the PA announcer for basketball, soccer and a handful of other sports, beginning in 2015.
“Scott’s journey is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when talent and determination meet opportunity,” said Special Olympics Florida President and CEO Sherry Wheelock. “We believe all our athletes deserve the chance to shine — on the field, in the classroom, or behind the microphone. Scott has shown the world that with passion and perseverance, nothing is impossible...”
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