On Sunday, October 14th, our athletes took a drive to DeSales University for the 2018 Eastern Fall Sectional. Athletes from Area P, Berks County, Bethlehem County, Bucks County, Carbon County, Chester County, Columbia/ Montour, Delaware County, Lancaster County, Lebanon County, Luzerne County, Monroe County, Montgomery County, Northumberland – Snyder Counties, Philadelphia County, Schuylkill County and the host county, Lehigh County, filled the football stadium in anticipation of a wonderful day of competition ahead. Every athlete had one thing on their mind, securing a spot at the fall state games – Fall Festival.

Opening Ceremonies kicked off with opening remarks from Dr. Berg and Chloe Phillips. Dr. Berg announced the theme for the day was Board Games in order to encourage everyone to take a chance and climb the ladder.   Next, the Knights of Columbus Honor Guard was welcomed to do the presentation of colors followed by the DeSales University Choir who beautifully sang the National Anthem. Eric Cushing, Vice President of Development for Special Olympics Pennsylvania, was introduced once the National Anthem ended in order to thank and do a Check Presentation with the Billy Frost Concert Committee. After this was completed, Dr. Berg took over again and welcomed Global Messenger, Ashley Bressler from Columbia/ Montour to speak about her experience with Special Olympics PA and how she enjoys competing. The DeSales University Dance Team then took over in a wonderful performance followed by Father Kevin who led everyone in prayer. Chloe and Dr. Berg took over again and led the coaches and athletes in their oaths. Once this was finished, the lighting of the Flame of Hope occurred, and was carried by athletes from Lehigh County, Officer Mettin and officers from the DeSales University Police Department as a symbol for officers around the world being guardians of the flame. The Flame of Hope is a symbol of Special Olympics and represents the determination of all athletes. Finally, Chloe declared the 2018 Special Olympics Pennsylvania Eastern Fall Sectional officially open.

Over 800 athletes were led by 350 coaches and over 400 volunteers in games where they went head to head with one another and showcased their athletic abilities. Athletes competed in Bocce (Doubles and Unified Sports Doubles), Long Distance Running/ Walking, Powerlifting, Soccer (11 v 11, Skills, 7 v 7, 5 v 5 Unified Sports) and Volleyball (Team and Individual Skills). This was the first year we have a Unified Team (Strykers) who made their competition debut at the Area M Fall Sports Classic. Once the games were completed, all of our Soccer teams, Volleyball Skills athletes and Bocce teams had secured a spot in the state event.

Congratulations to all those teams and athletes we can’t wait to see what you do at Fall Festival!

Join the Social Conversation

Facebook Event Page | #SOPAFallEast

In The News:

October 14, 2018: Julia Rose for 69wfmz News: Hundreds of Special Olympics athletes compete in Lehigh County event

Photos:

Results:

Bocce Doubles

Head Coach Carol Canady and Assistant Coaches Michelle Angerman

Soccer

Volleyball

Volleyball Skills:

Head Coach Monica Bradshaw

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.

League Play Day 1

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. 

AL- Abraham Lincoln, FURN- Furness, KHSA- Kensington Health Sciences, MLK- Martin Luther King, SOF- School of the Future

League Play Day 2

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. 

AUD- Audenreid (lt blue), FRNK- Frankford (red), GW- George Washington (blue, navy), SAY – Sayre High School (white), TE- Thomas Edison (green)

League Play Day 3

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. 

League Play Day 4

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.

AUD- Audenried (light blue), FURN- Furness (orange), MLK- Martin Luther King (purple), SAY- Sayre (white), SOF- School of the Future (grey)

ON TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP!

Our Philadelphia athletes had a great start to the 2017 Fall Season while attending the Area M Invitational on Sunday, September 17th. This invitational is held every fall at Hershey High School and invites 20 local Special Olympics PA programs to come out and compete in five sports. This year, 750 athletes came together to compete at one of their first tournaments of the season. Athletes have the chance to compete in bocce, long distance running/walking, powerlifting, soccer, and volleyball. Philadelphia athletes who attended competed in bocce, soccer skills, 5v5 soccer, and 7v7 soccer. 

Results

Bocce

Huge thank you to Coach Carole Canady for preparing our athletes!

Soccer – Individual Skills

Huge thank you to Coach Jaclyn Bixby for preparing our athletes! 

Soccer – Team

Huge thank you to Coaches Charles Abdo (Stars & Stripes) and Ryan Milanaik (Strykers) for preparing our athletes! 

On Monday, August 21, the Philadelphia Charity Ball crashed soccer practice. Philadelphia Charity Ball Board Members, Debutantes, Young Men’s Committee Members and friends and families of the Philadelphia Charity Ball attended soccer practice. South Philadelphia has practice on Monday evenings at Marconi Plaza (Broad St. & Oregon Ave) in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Charity Ball members joined, Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia Director, Britt Kleine, and the South Philadelphia Wildcats and their families to kick off the 2017 fall season.

The Wildcats are looking to compete at the Eastern Fall Sectional on Sunday, October 1^st at East Stroudsburg University and Fall Fest, held Friday, November 10^th and Sunday, November 12^th at Villanova University. The Philadelphia Charity Ball crew didn’t just stand on the sidelines and cheer, they got involved on the field to truly experience Special Olympics!

Many Philadelphia Charity Ball folks enjoyed running drills and making friends in the spirit of the united sports movement. At the end of practice, everyone was tired, b knew they had a great workout and a great time.

To find out more about our soccer programs in Philadelphia, click here.

On Saturday, August 5, 2017, two Unified Teams took on a quest of venturing around Philadelphia before going head to head in a Unified Soccer Match. A unified team from Abraham Lincoln High School represented Philadelphia Union while a group from Special Olympics Texas came down to represent FC Dallas. At the end of the day, it was a Unified Philadelphia Union Takes Home 4th Straight Gold!

The day started with a double-decker bus tour around Philadelphia. Our athletes and partners, as well as our Texas guests, got to see South Philadelphia, Old City, and Center City as a tour guide pointed out various points of interest and history. After the tour, each group got to rest and relax before heading over to the Talen Energy Stadium where the evening games were planned. Our Unified group headed over to Talen Energy Stadium to soak in the pre-match fun at the Toyota Plaza where they walked around and competed against each other in an inflatable obstacle course. Both teams rejoined for a picnic dinner before heading into the stadium to watch the first-team game. After an exciting game, ending in a 3-0 Victory for Philadelphia Union, the Unified Philadelphia Union had high spirits that their game would end in the same fashion.

After a quick warm up session, the match between a Unified Philadelphia Union and a Unified FC Dallas began.  The first half was intense with an early goal from Alvin Bayoh on the Unified Philadelphia Union (UPU) team, Alvin’s goal was quickly followed by a goal from Unified FC Dalls. Derrick Spence (UPC) was quick to reply to the Unified FC Dallas goal with a goal of his own, making the score 2-1. A Unified FC Dallas fought hard and a few minutes later scored another two goals, tying the score and surpassing the Unified Philadelphia Union. Before the first half was over, Edwin Teah (UPU) was able to sneak in two quick goals, bringing a lead to the Unified Philadelphia Union with a new score of 4-3.

Half time brought a quick pep-talk from Coach Michael Turchi and surprise pep-talk from Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtain. Curtain had been watching the first half and wanted to let the team know that they had been playing great and to keep it up to secure another win for Philadelphia Union that evening. The pep-talk must have hit home, because, within the first two minutes, Brandon Velez-Roa scored, making the score 5-3. Determined to catch up, the Unified FC Dallas came back and scored another goal, the new score was 5-4 Philadelphia. The second half saw both teams battle it out to. Texas had the goal of tying it up again and Philadelphia had the goal of winning. In the end, Philadelphia came out on top with Sam Desir scoring the last goal of the game, closing it out with a final score of 6 Unified Philadelphia Union – 4 Unified FC Dallas. Both teams were awarded medals based on finish by their host MLS Soccer Team coach, Jim Curtain and FC Dallas Head Coach, Óscar Pareja.

Our team thought the night was over, but the Sons of Ben (who also celebrated their 10th anniversary that evening), had one last surprise for our team. They made a Play Unified Banner with each plauyer’s number on it. Our athletes and partners got to sign one that would remain at Talen Energy Stadium and got to take another home to hang up in their gym. After a long-exciting day, it was time to go home and get a good night’s rest. 

Thank you to the wonderful partnership between ESPN, MLS Works, and Special Olympics for making events like this happen. We would also like to thank Philadelphia Union and the Sons of Ben for being such gracious hosts to us the entire day and giving us an experience we will never forget. 

Some of our Favorite Photos

Click here for all of our photos from the day!

In the News: 

After months of hard work and determination, 9 schools from the Philadelphia area gathered for the 5th annual Unified Soccer Championships. George Washington High School hosted the 2017 Unified Soccer Championship on May 30. Two of George Washington’s very own students, Angel Rosa and Alyssa Henry, kicked things off with a great introduction to their school and emcee, Marc Zumoff, announcer for the Philadelphia 76ers on. Zumoff was beyond excited to be at the Championship and commenced the event with a parade of athletes. The roster included Abraham Lincoln High School, Audenried High School, Frankford High School, Martin Luther King High School, School of the Future, Sayre High School, Thomas Edison High School, and hostGeorge Washington High School. The crowds roared with applause as each team paraded across the field. After the athletes and partners took their seats, it was time for the Frankford High School Color Guard to present the colors. Before the national anthem was played, there was a moment of silence for Brandon Santos, a George Washington soccer and bocce player who passed away prior to the Championship. Britt Kleine, Director of Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia gave remarks to the crowd which included honoring Brandon’s memory by reminding students that playing and living unified isn’t confined to when they participate in Special Olympics activities, but rather a way of life, a life of inclusion. Matthew Aaron, President, and CEO of Special Olympics PA echoed those sentiments with stories he has heard from athletes and partners across the state.

Opening Ceremonies continued with Angel and Alyssa returning to the podium to give their experiences and how the Interscholastic Unified Sports program has made an impact on their lives. Ronald, Faheem, and Brooke, then lead the athletes and partners in the Special Olympics Athlete Oath that emphasizes the importance of sportsmanship over victory. Next, George Washington Coaches Yvonne Schwiker and Lori Solomon lead coaches in the Coaches Oath. With the reciting of the oaths complete, it was time for the highlight of Opening Ceremonies, the lighting of the cauldron! Philadelphia Police Highway patrol officers led the Flame of Hope procession on motorcycles as Deputy Commissioner, Dennis Wilson, marched alongside eager athletes and partners carrying the torch. The ignition of the Special Olympics cauldron sent a surge of energy through the crowds as Ronald, Faheem, and Brooke kept the excitement up by declaring the games OPEN!

The competition was spread across six fields and each field held tremendous competition. Most of the matches were close calls as each athlete and partner had their eye on the trophy and gold medal that could soon be theirs. As each team gave their all, spectators and coaches were there to support their favorite team and witness the true joy of sport. However, the fun was not limited to the competition. Olympic Village featured cornhole, lawn games, soccer in an inflatable field.  Plenty of delicious, and nutritious snacks and souvenirs were also available. Thank you to our great partners, Philadelphia Union, Shop Rite of Morrell Plaza, EAT.RIGHT.NOW, and Dave and Buster’s for providing a festive Olympic Village! Although there was a little shower throughout the day, smiles were abundant at the Unified Soccer Championship!

Photos

by Lexy Pierce

Results:

Round Robin/Medal Scores:

Round Robin

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.

League Play Day 2

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.

Frankford (FRNK), George Washington (GW), School of the Future (SOF), Thomas Edison (TE)

League Play Day 1

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.

Abraham Lincoln (AL), Audenried Charter (AUD), Furness (FURN), Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), Sayre (SAY)

League Play Day 4

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.

Abraham Lincoln (AL), George Washington (GW), School of the Future (SOF), Sayre (SAY)

League Play Day 3

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.

Audenried Charter (AUD), Frankford (FRNK), Furness (FURN), Martin Luther King (MLK), Thomas Edison (TE)

This past Sunday, October 9th, 700 Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes met in Hershey, PA for Area M’s 2016 Fall Classic. 22 of these athletes were Philadelphia soccer players on the 7v7 team, Philly Strykers, and 5v5 team, Stars and Stripes. Other sports offered at this competition were Long Distance Running/Walking, Powerlifting, and Volleyball.

Click here to check out photos from the event, courtesy of PennLive! Philadelphia teams are in the teal/black jerseys!

Area M’s 2016 Fall Classic Facebook Event

SOCCER

Thank you to our two Head Coaches and the Assistant Coaches from the Philly Strykers: Gary Bixby, Walt Beckman, Samuel Fioravanti Sr, Linda Rose and John Rose and the Assistant Coaches from Stars and Stripes: Ronald Atkins and Karen Aviso, who put in long hours to help our athlete prepare for this tournament!

On Sunday, October 2nd, 46 Philadelphia athlete competed at the 2016 Eastern Fall Sectional held at East Stroudsburg University. Athletes competed in Bocce, Soccer, and Volleyball. It was a pretty dreary day, but Philadelphia shone with their bright uniforms. Our soccer athletes wore teal, you couldn’t miss our volleyball athletes in neon green and our bocce athletes wore sunshine yellow. All of our athletes competed with determination to make it to Fall Fest. With their coaches on the sideline, giving support, our athletes gave their best performance on the field/court. With the newly introduced hashtag, #SOPAFallEast, athletes, volunteers, coaches and fans were able to share their experiences of the day with everyone!

Congratulations to our Team 1 in Bocce (Pam Galone and John Kulpa), our 5v5 team, Stars and Stripes, and our 7v7 team, Philadelphia Strikers, for advancing to Fall Festival held next month! 

2016 #SOPAFallEAST Facebook Event

Results:

Bocce

Thank you to Head Coach Carole Canady and Assistant Coaches Michelle Angerman, Carolyn Driscoll who put in long hours to help our athlete prepare for this tournament!

Soccer

Thank you to our two Head Coaches and the Assistant Coaches from the Philly Strykers: Gary Bixby, Walt Beckman, Samuel Fioravanti Sr, Linda Rose and John Rose and the Assistant Coaches from Stars and Stripes: Ronald Atkins and Karen Aviso, who put in long hours to help our athlete prepare for this tournament!

Volleyball

Thank you to the Head Coach, William, and Assistant Coaches Tamika Holman and Beverly Liken who put in long hours to help our athlete prepare for this tournament!

Volleyball Individual Skills

Thank you to Head Coach, Jon Garvey, who put in long hours to help our athlete prepare for this tournament!

Photos

ESPN and MLS WORKS hosted the 3rd Annual Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Match on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, CA at 5:30 PM PT, just two days before the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. Justin Sherlock and Tariq Fontroy, two students from School of the Future represented the Philadelphia Union as they participated on the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. 

Eastern Conference All-Stars Roster:

The Eastern Conference All-Stars faced the Western Conference All-Stars whose team included:

Photos: