On Saturday, October 27, 2018, volleyball teams from Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties competed against each other at the 2018 Invitational Volleyball Tournament held at Abraham Lincoln High School. Chase Trimmer, Director of Special Olympics Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, kicked off Opening Ceremonies with a warm welcome. Afterward, he introduced Global Messenger, Athlete Representative and member of SOPA Philly’s Athlete Leadership Committee, Raymond Anderson as the Master of Ceremonies. Raymond then took over and welcomed the different teams to the tournament. The teams who participated included Montgomery County “Hawks I”, Montgomery County “Hawks II”, Montgomery County “Key Lime”, Montgomery County “Teal Seals”, Montgomery County “Warriors”, Philadelphia “Pure Energy”, Philadelphia “Special Stars”, Philadelphia “Wildcats I” and Philadelphia “Wildcats II”.
Once the teams made their way in, Raymond was able to welcome Abraham Lincoln’s Air Force Junior ROTC to present the colors, with the color guard being led by Cadet Escavez. Next, Chase took over again to thank everyone for coming once again and to wish luck to the athletes and coaches competing. Then, Tori Amaradio, a Special Olympics athlete from the Philadelphia “Wildcats I”, led the athletes in the Special Olympics Oath of “Let me win. If I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt”. The ceremony proceeded with Rosemary Duffy from Philadelphia County leading the coaches in reciting the Coach’s Oath. After both oaths were recited, Francis Bradshaw, an athlete from the Philadelphia “Special Stars” carried out the Flame of Hope. Following the entrance of the Flame of Hope was everyone’s favorite part – the declaration that the 2018 Philadelphia Invitational Volleyball Tournament open. Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia athlete, Sharon Quarles was able to officially open the games to a roaring crowd.
Despite the gloomy weather outside, it was all warmth and smiles inside.
The games began with every single athlete bringing extremely high energy to the court. As the division one, two, and three teams competed against each other, you could see everyone’s excitement to be playing and the sportsmanship throughout the matches. As the games continued, everyone had a blast cheering each other on! Congratulations to all of our teams and coaches everyone an amazing job!
More photos can be found on our Facebook Page
On October 17, 2018, Jefferson University hosted the 2018 Unified Youth Summit with the theme of “Make Inclusion a Lifetime Trend.” Students gathered to learn how to work together with students with different personalities, how to be a leader who actively includes and motivates others around them, how to conduct successful Unified Club meetings, and tactics for fundraising. Participating schools included Abraham Lincoln, Ben Franklin, Edison, Frankford, Furness, George Washington, Hill Freedman World Academy, Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Martin Luther King, Northeast, Sayre, The School of the Future, Strawberry Mansion, and Universal Audenried Charter High Schools.
The program had kicked off with remarks from Chase Trimmer, Director of Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia, James Lynch, Executive Director of Athletics at The School District of Philadelphia, and Matt Aaron, President and CEO of Special Olympics Pennsylvania. During welcoming remarks, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln high schools were recognized for being Unified National Champion Schools. Once the opening remarks wrapped up, students split into groups with a facilitator from Jefferson Athletics. Throughout the morning, Jefferson student-athletes lead students through various activities to help them become better leaders within their school. Students started by sharing activities in their school that were student-led and student-driven. Next, each group was able to come up with new Whole School Engagement activities and create a plan for it. Students then learned the importance of how Spread the Word to End the Word (STW) and Respect campaigns are a good way for them to get more attention.
The activities took a break for lunch where the students were able to speak freely with one another in their groups and get to know each other better. Once lunch ended, students learned about the 2018 Philadelphia Polar Plunge and how they could participate in the Cool Schools Plunge. The Cool Schools Plunge is for high school students from around the city to support Interscholastic Unified Sports Programs (IUS). During the event, students partake in an educational activity followed by a plunge into icy waters. They also discussed various fundraisers which they could do to support their participation in the Cool Schools Plunge. Overall, the students who attended the 2018 Unified Youth Summit were able to leave Jefferson University with the knowledge on how to raise money for an important cause and how to lead their schools in becoming more inclusive.
2018 IUS Soccer Season consisted of four league play days at various high schools to prepare students for the championship in late May. Ten high schools participated in this years soccer season. Schools included
AUD- Audenreid (lt blue), FRNK- Frankford (red), GW- George Washington (blue, navy), SAY – Sayre High School (white), TE- Thomas Edison (green)
AL- Abraham Lincoln, FURN- Furness, KHSA- Kensington Health Sciences, MLK- Martin Luther King, SOF- School of the Future
The Philadelphia IUS Soccer Championship is on Wednesday, May 30th at George Washington High School.
Abraham Lincoln High School hosted the first league play day after the original date was postponed due to snow. The first League Play Day was held on Wednesday, March 28th, it was a little chilly, but the sky was clear and the ground was free from snow. Lincoln High School welcomed Furness High School, Kensington Health Sciences High School, Martin Luther King High School, and School of the Future. As teams arrived, Lincolns students were ready to welcome them to their school with high-fives and warm greetings. Besides competition, every team got to participate in training – regardless if they played in the player development model or competitive model.
|
Field 1 |
Field 2 |
Field 3 |
Round 1 |
SOF 1 (2) v AL 1 (4) |
MLK 2 (2) v AL 2 (2) |
FURN 2 (0) v KHSA 1 (5) |
Round 2 |
|
FURN 1 (2) v AL 2 (0) |
KHSA 2 (4) v SOF 2 (1) |
Round 3 |
MLK 1 (2) v SOF 1 (1) |
KHSA 1 (5) v MLK 2 (0) |
SOF 2 (1) v FURN 2 (0) |
Round 4 |
AL 1 (2) v MLK 1 (2) |
KHSA 2 (3) v FURN 1 (4) |
|
AL- Abraham Lincoln, FURN- Furness, KHSA- Kensington Health Sciences, MLK- Martin Luther King, SOF- School of the Future
After rescheduling due to weather, the second IUS Soccer league play day turned out to be the perfect day for soccer. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze in the air. Frankford High School hosted Audenreid Charter, Geroge Washington High School, Sayre High School and Thomas Edison High School. Athletes, partners, coaches, and volunteers alike were excited to get the day started as the schools participating in this league play day were anxious to get their season started. To kick things off, Frankford High School Color Guard presented the colors as the national anthem was played over the loudspeaker. After the colors were presented, a few quick announcements were made and Frankford’s mascot even stopped by to say hello to the teams and support the home team. Like the first league play day, players participated in player development or competitive model training.
|
Field 1 |
Field 2 |
Field 3 |
Round 1 |
AUD 1 (1) v GW 1 |
TE 1 (1) v FRNK 1 (0) |
SAY 1 (3) v TE 2 (0) |
Round 2 |
|
SAY 2 (3) v GW 2 (1) |
AUD 2 (3) v FRNK 2 (0) |
Round 3 |
AUD 1 (2) v FRNK 1 (1) |
SAY 1 (2) v GW 2 (1) |
TE 2 ( 1) v AUD 2 (2) |
Round 4 |
GW 1 (1) v TE 1 (0) |
FRNK 2 (2) v SAY 2 (5) |
AUD- Audenreid (lt blue), FRNK- Frankford (red), GW- George Washington (blue, navy), SAY – Sayre High School (white), TE- Thomas Edison (green)
Thomas Edison High School hosted Abraham Lincoln, Frankford High School, George Washington High School, and Kensington Health Sciences on Tuesday, April 24th. It was the perfect day to be outside, especially after the first two league play days were postponed due to snow. The sun was shining, and along Edison’s track was a tree in bloom where it snowed petals. Everyone much preferred this “snow” to the earlier snowstorm in the season. After everyone arrived, Thomas Edison’s Junior ROTC, led by Cadet Bullock, presented the colors and Cadet Vega sang the National Anthem.
|
Field 1 |
Field 2 |
Round 1 |
TE 1 (0) v GW 1 (5) |
FRNK 2 (1) v GW 2 (4) |
Round 2 |
KHSA 2 v TE 2 |
KHSA 1 v FRNK 2 |
Round 3 |
GW 1 v FRNK 1 |
KHSA 2 v GW 2 |
Round 4 |
FRNK 1 v TE 1 |
TE 2 v KHSA 1 |
School of the Future hosted the last League Play Day on April 26th. Although the weather wasn’t as warm as the third league play day, it was just as sunny with a breeze keeping steady throughout the day. Audenried, Furness High School, Martin Luther King High School, and Sayre High School joined School of the Future to round out the last of the league play days. To welcome the other schools, School of the Future had their drum line out and they were ready to pump up the athletes and partners as they prepared for their games.
|
Field 1 Competitive |
Field 2 Player Dev. |
Field 3 Player Dev. |
Round 1 |
AUD 1 v SOF 1 |
AUD 2 (1) v MLK 2 (1) |
FURN 1 v SAY 1 |
Round 2 |
SOF 1 v MLK 1 |
SAY 2 v SOF 2 |
MLK 2 v FURN 2 |
Round 3 |
MLK 1 v AUD 1 |
SAY 1 v AUD 2 |
SOF 2 v FURN 1 |
Round 4 |
|
FURN 2 v SAY 2 |
|
AUD- Audenried (light blue), FURN- Furness (orange), MLK- Martin Luther King (purple), SAY- Sayre (white), SOF- School of the Future (grey)
On Saturday, October 28th, Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia (SOPA Philly) held their 2017 Volleyball Invitational at Abraham Lincoln High School. Teams from Area M, Clinton County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, and of course Philadelphia came to compete, and for some as an extra competition before the state’s Fall Festival in early November.
Richard Bailey, Ceremonies Chair, kicked off the day at 9:00 am with Opening Ceremonies led by the Master of Ceremonies, Global Messanger and Athlete Representative, Raymond Anderson. Anderson also serves on SOPA Philly’s Athlete Leadership Committee. The first portion of the ceremony included all of the volleyball teams making their entrance into the auditorium. Teams in attendance included Area M County Blasters, Clinton County Hawks, Delaware County Slam, Montgomery County Blue Barracudas, Montgomery County Teal Seals, Montgomery County Hawks 1, Montgomery County Hawks 2, Montgomery County Warriors, Philadelphia Wildcats I, Philadelphia “Wildcats II, Philadelphia Flash, Philadelphia Special Stars, Philadelphia Spike Blasters.
Director of Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia, Britt Kleine gave some inspiring words to the athletes and thanked everyone behind the scenes Sharon Quarles, representing the Philadelphia Special Stars, led athletes in the Athlete Oath of “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Opening Ceremonies concluded with the Flame of Hope, a symbol for Special Olympics. The Flame of Hope was carried in by Philadelphia Wildcat I athlete, Kevin Burke. To kick off competition, Bailey wished the athletes luck in their matches and opened the Games.
For all photos, please see our Facebook Page
Special Olympics PA, Philadelphia held four 2017 IUS Soccer League Play Days for the nine high schools participating in soccer this year. These four games lead up to the Unified Soccer Championship on May 30th. With typical spring weather, two of our league play days were postponed due to rain, but in the end, all of the League Play Days were filled with the sun, friendship, and most importantly sportsmanship.
The first day of the IUS Soccer League Play Days was held on March 30, 2017, as the first one was rained out and rescheduled. Thomas Edison graciously hosted Frankford High School, George Washington High School and School of the Future. The day was chilly but dry with the sun peeking out at times. Each of the four schools had two soccer teams representing their school and each team was able to play twice.
Field 1 |
Field 2 |
|
Round 1 |
GW1 (1) vs. TE1 (2) | FRNK1 (0) vs. SOF2 (3) |
Round 2 |
TE1 (2) vs. SOF 1 (0) | FRNK2 (0) vs. GW2 (0) |
Round 3 |
SOF1 (1) vs. GW1 (1) | TE2 (0) vs. SOF2 (1) |
Round 4 |
TE2 (3) vs. FRNK 2 (1) | GW2 (1) vs. FRNK2 (0) |
Frankford (FRNK), George Washington (GW), School of the Future (SOF), Thomas Edison (TE)
The original date of the IUS League Play Day was on Tuesday, March 28th. This league play day was postponed due to heavy rains to Tuesday, April 4th. Abraham Lincoln, Audenried Charter, Furness, and Sayre all came to Martin Luther King High School who was the gracious host for the day. We saw a lot of sportsmanship during this league play day. In one of the Player Development games, we saw an Audenried partner (individual without an intellectual disability) help coach a Furness athlete (individual with an intellectual disability). This typically happens between teammates, but the circumstances arose where there wasn’t a partner near the athlete to help guide them.
Field 1 |
Field 2 |
Field 3 |
|
Round 1 |
AL 1 (5) vs. AUD1 (0) | MLK2 (0) vs. SAY1 (0) | |
Round 2 |
MLK1 (2) vs. AL1 (2) | FURN2 (1) vs. AUD2 (3) | FURN1 (6) vs. SAY2 (2) |
Round 3 |
AUD1 (1) vs. MLK1 (5) | SAY1 (0) vs. AL2 (0) | AUD2 (4) vs. SAY2 (0) |
Round 4 |
AL2 (1) vs. FURN1 (4) | FURN2 (0) vs. MLK2 (1) |
Abraham Lincoln (AL), Audenried Charter (AUD), Furness (FURN), Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), Sayre (SAY)
The fourth league play day occurred on a Thursday, April 27th. School of the Future hosted Abraham Lincoln, Geroge Washington, and Sayre for their second league play day. It started as a cloudy and cool day, but as the games were underway, the sun came out and it felt like summer. The next time these teams will meet will be at the Unified Soccer Championship on Tuesday, May 30th.
FIELD 1 |
FIELD 2 |
|
ROUND 1 |
GW1 (3) vs. SOF1 (1) | AL2 (2) vs. SAY2 (6) |
ROUND 2 |
AL1 (2) vs. GW1 (3) | SAY1 (0) vs. SOF2 (4) |
ROUND 3 |
SOF1 (0) vs. AL1 (1) | SAY2 (4) vs. GW2 (4) |
ROUND 4 |
SOF2 (3) vs. AL2 (0) | GW2 (0) vs. SAY1 (2) |
Abraham Lincoln (AL), George Washington (GW), School of the Future (SOF), Sayre (SAY)
The original date for the third IUS League Play Day was on Tuesday, April 25th. After being rained out the first day, it was nothing but beautiful blue skies on the new date, May 2nd. Frankford High School hosted Audenreid, Furness, Martin Luther King and Thomas Edison for their second league play day – and what would end up being the final league play day of the year. The next time these teams will meet will be at the Unified Soccer Championship on Tuesday, May 30th.
FIELD 1 |
FIELD 2 |
FIELD 3 |
|
ROUND 1 |
TE1 (1) vs. AUD1 (0) | TE2 (4) vs. MLK2 (0) | FRNK1 (1) vs. FURN 2 (0) |
ROUND 2 |
AUD1 (3) vs. MLK1 (4) | AUD2 (2) vs. FRNK2 (0) | FURN1 (4) vs. FRNK1 (2) |
ROUND 3 |
MLK1 (0) vs. TE1 (2) | TE2 (5) vs. FURN2 (1) | MLK2 (1) vs. FRNK2 (0) |
Audenried Charter (AUD), Frankford (FRNK), Furness (FURN), Martin Luther King (MLK), Thomas Edison (TE)