It was a hot and sunny day as 9 schools converged at Abraham Lincoln for the 2016 Unified Soccer Championship. Universal Audenried Charter, Frankford, Furness, George Washington, High School of the Future, Martin Luther King, Sayre, and Thomas Edison joined host Abraham Lincoln for the culminating event of the year. Clara Barton Elementary, Universal Daroff Elementary, Solis-Cohen Elementary School, and Tilden Middle School also made the journey to Lincoln to cheer on the high school students.
The Unified Soccer Championship kicked off with Matt Cord, Philadelphia 76ers and 93.3 WMMR, leading Opening Ceremonies. Abraham Lincoln’s Junior ROTC presented the colors as a group from the Lincoln Choir sang the National Anthem. President and CEO of Special Olympics Pennsylvania, Matthew Aaron and Director of Special Olympics Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, Britt Kleine, gave brief remarks and wished the athletes luck. Bettyann Creighton, Directorof Health, Safety and Physical Education, gave remarks as well as thanked the teachers turned coaches for their efforts throughout the year and wished their teams the best.
We would like to thank the School District of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools for your amazing partnership and bringing inclusion and opportunity into our Philadelphia schools. We would like to recognize our sponsors who made this event a success: Drexel University’s Eat Right, Philadelphia Union, phl17, Sambulance Safety Squad, and Shop Rite. We also could not do it without our volunteers who took time out of their day to support a growing movement. Thank you to the Finish Line, Knights of Columbus, Sons of Ben for helping us #LiveUnified.
Field 1 |
Field 2 |
field 3 |
field 4 |
field 5 |
field 6 |
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Round 1 |
AL 1 (2) v SOF 1 (0) | SOF 2 (0) v MLK 1 (2) | TE 2 (1) v AUD 2 (1) | FURN 1 (3) v FRNK 2 (0) | SAY 2 (0) v MLK 2 (0) | GW 1 (1) v SAY 1 (0) |
Round 2 |
SOF 1 (1) v AUD 1 (4) | MLK 1 (5) v TE 1 (1) | AUD 2 (0) v FURN 2 (1) | FRNK 2 (1) v GW 2 (3) | MLK 2 (1) v FRNK 1 (1) | SAY 1 (2) v AL 2 (0) |
Round 3 |
AUD 1 (1) v AL 1 (6) | TE 1 (3) v SOF 2 (0) | FURN 2 (1) v TE 2 (0) | GW 2 (2) v FURN 1 (1) | FRNK 1 (1) v SAY 2 (1) | AL 2 (0) v GW 1 (1) |
Audenried 2 v Furness 1, Audenreid 1 v Thomas Edison 1, Martin Luther King 2 v Sayer 1
Furness 2 v George Washington 2, Abraham Lincoln 1 v Martin Luther King 1, Frankford 1 v George Washington 1
BLUE DIVISION
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GREEN DIVISION
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RED DIVISION
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June 9, 2016: Kristen Hatfield for PHL17: SOPA Philly celebrates the Fourth Annual Unified Soccer Championship
Our 39th Spring Games were held on Saturday, April 23, 2016 had dreary and wet weather, but our athletes still shone in bright yellow shirts! With the rain steadily coming down, Opening Cermonies moved indoors. Athelte, Emmet Abdo and Marc Zumoff, Philadelphia 76ers sportscaster for Comcast SportsNet, emceed the Opening Ceremonies where Frankford High School, Junior ROTC Color Guard presented the colors and athlete Michael Caporole and his mother Denine Latanzo Avera of South Philadelphia led the crown in an inspiring rendition of the National Anthem. Before the games were declared open, our Law Enforcement Officers Torch Run ended their 6 mile journey from the Philadelphia Museum and brought the Flame of Hope to help open the games. The runners were led by Chief Inspector Dennis Wilson of the Philadelphia Police Department, Chief Dave Duffy of the Upper Gwynedd Police Department, men and women from Philadelphia and surrounding law enforcement agencies and PECO employees.
Unfortunatly, as the rain continued, Special Olympics Philadelphia had to make the tough decision of cancelling tennis and field events for the safety of our athletes competing. Basketball went on as and our athletes took every chance they got to make a basket. South Philadelphia’s basketball team the Philly Wildcats made their Special Olympics debut at the 39th Annual Spring Games. Young Athletes held a demonstration from 10:00am – 11:00am. They showed off their skills as they jumped, ran, and tossed balls with our volunteers. Members of the Drexel Women’s Basketball Team played two Unified Games. One against the Philly Phlames and the second against the Philly Warriors. The Drexel Lady Dragons put up a good fight but were no match for our two basketball teams. The lady Dragons lost both games, with the first game ending at Philly Phlames 28, Drexel Dragons 21 and the second game finishing at Drexel Dragons 22, Philly Warriors 23.
The 2016 SOPA Night at the 76ers is scheduled for Sunday, March 20th.
Every year, Special Olympics Pennsylvania offers its friends the chance to watch the Philadelphia 76ers in a game at the Wells Fargo Center and help spread awareness about its organization at the same time. Enjoy discounted ticket prices (a portion of proceeds will go to Special Olympics Pennsylvania), take in a thrilling game and do something positive for your community.
The game of the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Boston Celtics starts at 6pm.
Prior to the game, our athletes will have some pre-game fun on the court, beginning at 3pm!
Get your tickets here and enter code “SOPA”
To get tickets off-line or if you have any questions, contact Mitch at MitchCohen@sixers.com or 267-479-1125
Every year, Special Olympics Pennsylvania offers its friends the chance to watch the Philadelphia 76ers game at the Wells Fargo Center and help spread awareness about its organization at the same time enjoy discounted ticket prices (a portion of proceeds go to Special Olympics Pennsylvania), take in a thrilling game and do something positive for your community. During the 76ers Awareness Night, the 76ers invite Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes the chance to play ball on their court.
The Philadelphia Phlames and the Tri-County All Stars pose for a picture with WNBA star Elaina Delle Donne
The 3rd Annual Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Night with the 76ers was a huge success. Nearly 500 athletes, coaches, supporters, volunteers and families came to the Wells Fargo Center for an evening of memorable experiences on Saturday, March 14, 2015.
In addition to watching the Sixers vs. Nets game, the event honored Philadelphia athlete Benjamin Liken with the “Hero Among Us Award,” offered an exhibition game between the Philadelphia Phlames (2014 Div. 4 National Games Champions) and the Tri-County All Stars (Team of athletes from Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties), and held a post game meet and greet/autograph session with WNBA star Elaina Delle Donne and current Sixers Point Guard Isaiah Canaan.
Exhibition game between the Philadelphia Phlames (2014 Div. 4 National Games Champions) and the Tri-County All Stars (Team of athletes from Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties)
Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes also had the opportunity to shoot lay ups, free throws and three pointers on the Wells Fargo Center hardwood court for 45-minutes postgame. The evening raised money for the movement via a 50-50 raffle that was held at every Sixers home game, plus $3 per ticket sold (using a special promo code) coming back to the organization.
Click here to view more event photos courtesy of TriState Media Productions.
In anticipation of the 2014 USA Games and the Team PA Send-Off being hosted by the Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow morning, our very own writer, Nick Cammarota, has created a moving and touching documentary about a Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia Unified Athlete: Dadley Thenor. Originally from Haiti, he makes the best of what he has been given – all with a smile on his face. He is a shining example of what the Special Olympics movement is all about. He encompasses the human spirit and anyone around him gets their spirit uplifted.
This segment aired on, Friday, June 13th, at 5:00 pm on WHYY. The eight-minute documentary, titled “My Friend — The Story of Dadly Thenor” focuses on George Washington High School goaltender Dadly Thenor. It focuses on the uplifting and incredible background story highlighting his life and education at George Washington and his participation in the Unified Soccer Program.
George Washington High School student Dadly Thenor uses a walker to get around nearly all the time — except when he plays goalie for the Eagles’ Unified Soccer team. Discover his story here through the eyes of Dadly and his coaches, John Creighton and Yvonne Schwiker, as the Eagles prepare to compete in the Special Olympics National Games in New Jersey.
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