A local Rio Linda teen is vying for a national title and needs your help. Andrew Goligowski, a 13-year-old athlete, is competing in the Colossal’s Youth Athlete of the Year competition, a nationwide fundraiser benefiting the Why Not You Foundation and the V Foundation.
Andrew is a well-known multi-sport athlete in the area, playing tackle football with the Jesuit Junior Marauders, wrestling with Uriah Faber’s Cali Kids, and competing in track through St. Ignatius Elementary School. He also lives with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and autism, and his mission is to inspire other kids with T1D by showing them that they can compete in high-energy sports and achieve their athletic dreams.
If Andrew wins the competition, he’ll be featured in Sports Illustrated, where he plans to proudly show his T1D medical devices. He also hopes to use the scholarship money to help him play sports at the collegiate level.
The current round of voting ends on Wednesday, September 4, at 7 p.m. PDT. Andrew is working hard to gain as much visibility as possible to help raise awareness for young athletes with T1D. You can support him and read more about his story by visiting his official profile: https://athleteoftheyear.org/2025/andrew-64cf.
Let’s help Andrew bring home the title and shine a light on the incredible things athletes with T1D can accomplish.
