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
A Unified Soccer Team from George Washington High School will be participating in the 2016 MLS Works Exchange Game as the Philadelphia Union! On Saturday, May 28th, our athletes will face off a Unified Colorado Rapids team at 9:00pm at Dicks Sporting Goods Park. Major League Soccer (MLS) started a relationship with Special Olympics and together created the Unified Exchange Program in 2013 to promote inclusion at all levels of soccer. Through the MLS Unified Exchange Program, Special Olympics athletes in an MLS city form a team. From there, Unified soccer teams travel to other MLS soccer markets and receive training from MLS players and coaches and compete against each other on the same fields the pros play on.
Special Olympics Unified Sports® creates an opportunity for people without intellectual disabilities to join in the sports experience by playing on a team with athletes with intellectual disabilities. Not only do the players all have fun, but attitude change and transformation happens on the playing field and the experiences create lifelong friendships.
Our IUS 2016 Soccer League Games were off to a rainy start with our two original April dates being postponed due to rain. Once the rain cleared, we were able to host our first two league games in the sunny weather.
On Thursday, April 14th, we held our first of four IUS Soccer League Games. High School of the Future hosted Thomas Edison High School, Audenried Charter, Sayre High School for the first games of the season. High School of the Future brought out their drum line and they performed during half time and between games to entertain our athletes, partners, coaches and fans.
Field 1 |
Field 2 |
Field 3 |
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Round 1 |
AUD1 (0) vs SOF1 (3) | SAY1 (1) vs AUD2 (2) | SAY2 (0) vs TE2 (2) |
Round 2 |
SOF2 (0) vs TE1 (2) | AUD2 (1) vs SAY2 (1) | |
Round 3 |
AUD1 (0) vs SOF1 (1) | SOF2 (0) vs TE1 (1) | SAY1 (0) vs TE2 (0) |
AUD – Audenried, SOF – School of the Future, SAY – Sayre, TE – Edison
Frankford High School hosted our second day of our IUS Soccer League Games. Abraham Lincoln High School, Frankford High School, Furness High School, George Washington High School and Martin Luther King High School met up on the field to take part in the second day of IUS Soccer Games for the 2016 season.
Field 1 |
Field 2 |
Field 3 |
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Round 1 |
AL 1 (0) vs MLK 1 (0) | FRNK 1 (2) vs GW 1 (2) | |
Round 2 |
FURN 1 (3) vs GW 2 (0) | FRNK 2 (1) vs AL 2 (0) | FURN 2 (5) vs MLK 2 (0) |
Round 3 |
AL 1 (1) vs MLK 1 (3) | FRNK 1 (1) vs GW 2 (6) | FURN 1 (3) vs GW 1 (0) |
Round 4 |
FRNK 2 (2) vs MLK 2 (0) | FURN 2 (5) vs AL 2 (0) |
AL – Lincoln, GW – Washington, FRNK – Frankford, FURN – Furness, MLK – King
It might have been another chilly day, but luckily the rain held out for three rounds of soccer games. Thomas Edison hosted our first day of the second round of league play days for our 2016 IUS soccer season. Audenried Charter and Frankford High School both made their way to Thomas Edison High School where teams from the three schools played two games of soccer.
Field 1 |
Field 2 |
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Round 1 |
TE1 (5) vs AUD1 (5) | FRNK1 (3) vs AUD2 (5) |
Round 2 |
TE2 (9) vs FRNK1 (1) | FRNK2 (4) vs AUD2 (3) |
Round 3 |
TE1 (5) vs AUD1 (3) | FRNK2 (1) vs TE2 (1) |
AUD – Audenried, FRNK – Frankford, TE – Edison
We got lucky on a very unlucky day (Friday, May 13th). The weather called for rain and rain clouds were looming up ahead, we were lucky enough that the rain held out until the last whistle blew on the last round of soccer. George Washington graciously hosted Abraham Lincoln High School, Furness High School, Martin Luther King Jr High School, Sayre High School and School of the Future. Everyone arrived with high spirits and smiles on their faces.
Field 1 |
Field 2 |
Field 3 |
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Round 1 |
AL 1 (2) vs SOF 1 (1) | GW 1 (0) vs SAY 1 (0) | FURN 1 (4) vs MLK 2 (0) |
Round 2 |
SOF 2 (2) vs MLK 1 (2) | GW 2 (3) vs AL 2 (0) | FURN 2 (2) vs SAY 2 (0) |
Round 3 |
SOF 1 (2) vs MLK 1 (3) | GW 1 (0) vs MLK 2 (0) | FURN 1 (4) vs SAY 1 (0) |
Round 4 |
AL 1 (2) vs SOF 2 (0) | GW 2 (1) vs FURN 2 (2) | AL 2 (1) vs SAY 2 (4) |
AL – Abraham Lincoln, FURN – Furness, GW – George Washington, MLK – Martin Luther King Jr, SAY – Sayer, SOF – School of the Future
Join us on June 7th between 10:00am and 1:00pm at Abraham Lincoln High School
Click here for our Facebook Event
Villanova University’s campus turned into an underwater adventure land between Friday, November 6, 2015 and Sunday, November 8, 2015 for the annual Fall Festival. The theme was Dive in as Athletes, Emerge as Champions! Our athletes dove in and with hard work and determination and our Athletes Emerged as Champions. Our athletes dominated the field/court in Soccer (5v5, 7v7, and skills), Volleyball and Bocce! We even had an athlete help clinicians during Healthy Athletes!
Preliminary competition started Friday afternoon. Based on performance, our teams were placed in their division for Saturday’s competition. Based on Saturday’s performance, our teams were then scheduled for the medal rounds held on Sunday. Between competitions, our athletes enjoyed activities at Olympic Town and/or get screened at Healthy Athletes. Beyond competition, our athletes enjoyed a dynamic Opening Ceremony with guest speaker Villanova Men’s Basketball Coach, Jay Wright, who at Opening Ceremonies told all athletes that Villanova’s house was their house for the weekend. On Saturday evening, our athletes let loose on the dance floor at the Victory Dance! The weekend concluded with Closing Ceremonies where the committee premiered their recap video (shown below – can you spot our Philly athletes?!?!?) and wished all athletes safe travels home. We can’t wait for the 2016 Fall Festival!
Bocce
Pam Galone & Raymond Anderson, Traditional Team – 3rd Place
Kirstyn Cantres & Kevin Karcher, Traditional Team – 1st Place
Lenny Lutts Sr. & Lenny Lutts Jr., Unified Team – 1st Place
Stars & Stripes (5v5) – 1st Place
Emmett Abdo, Ronald Atkins, Lisa Barbour, Edwin Ian Capacio, Allison Davidson, Eddie Glover, Jackie Lutts, Kristie Walls, Michael Weinberg, David Brent Williams
Philly Phlash (7v7) – 3rd Place
Matthew Beckman, Ryan Bogan, Daniel Charlton, Matthew Grabowski, Carl Irvis, Angel Rodriguez, Jesse Rose, Joseph Rynkiewicz, Mitchel Stahl, Brian Stulz, Charles Zisette
Nick Uhniat- 1st Place
Kayla Atkins – 2nd Place
Marlene Johnson – 4th Place
Lafayette Charleston -4th Place
James Shelton – 3rd Place
via Villanova Television.
Fox 29 Weekend News, Lauren Dugan Covers the Pennsylvania Special Olympics
Coaches – Carole Angerman, Carole Canady and Michelle Angerman
Coaches – Carole Angerman, Carole Canady and Michelle Angerman
Ronald Atkins, Lisa Barbour, Kristie Walls, Jackie Lutts, Edwin Ian Capacio, Allison Davidson, Michael Weinberg, Emmett Abdo, Eddie Glover, David Brent Williams
Coaches – Charles Abdo, David McCarty, Karen Aviso, Ronald Atkins
Matthew Grabowski, Joseph Rynkiewicz, Ryan Bogan, Charles Zisette, Angel Rodriguez, Brian Stulz, Jesse Rose, Carl Irvis, Mitchel Stahl, Daniel Charlton , Matthew Beckman,
Coaches – Walt Beckman, Stacy Plumbo, Linda Rose, Jon Garvey
Coach – Cynthia Charleston
On 
August 1st, before kickoff of the highly anticipated Philadelphia Union vs New York Red Bulls match at PPL Park, Myra Ausberry named Hometown Hero.
The Hometown Hero award recognize those men and women who have made a difference in the lives of others. These heroes are ordinary people that have had an extraordinary impact through their service, dedication, knowledge and spirit. The Philadelphia Union looks to salute those heroes who have inspired people to improve the lives of their cities, towns communities and neighbors . Traditional values of teamwork, effort, accountability, trust and selflessness are the cornerstones of Philadelphia Union’s Hometown Heroes.
Myra Ausberry has volunteered countless hours as a coach in a number of sports for Special Olympics Philadelphia to some of the most underserved athletes in some of the most underserved areas of the city. She ensures that those she engages with know about the opportunities available through Special Olympics but even more, she supports their on-boarding by providing resources and personal support to them wherever needed. The energy Myra brings to her role as a coach is contagious and it’s easy to see that the athletes and families enjoy being around her. Myra’s support and commitment to her teams every season has not gone unnoticed. She has personally helped athletes from competing on a local level to be able to compete on the national stage! Her passion for Special Olympics goes beyond the seven sports she is certified to coach in the community program. Myra is also an active supporter for the Unified Sports program and is particularly known for her current coaching position with the Martin Luther King High School Unified Soccer Team.
Congratulations, Myra! We are so lucky to have such a committed volunteer!
On Saturday, August 1, 2015 members of our Martin Luther King High School Unified along with two students from Chester team played against players from Rowan University’s ‘SO College’ Unified group. a Unified New Jersey team at PPL Park prior to the Philadelphia Union game against the New York Red Bulls. Our athletes and partners arrived to a Union-fied locker room with Union jerseys with their last name on the back, shorts and socks. Once they changed, you could have easily mistaken them for the actual Philadelphia Union!
Prior to the starting whistle, some Philadelphia Union members came to wish our team luck including midfielder Jimmy McLaughlin, forward Andrew Wenger, and defender Raymond Lee. With high fives all around, our team was ready to play! Our Unified Philadelphia Union team looked great on the field. During the first half, Philadelphia Union goalkeeper, John McCarthy, joined us on the bench laughing, talking, giving advice, and of course giving high-fives to our team. Luck was with us because as the whistle blew signaling the first half was over, the score was Philadelphia Union 3 – New York Red Bulls 0. All three goals were scored by athlete, Kenny Lamont.
During half time, Philadelphia Union midfielder Jimmy McLaughlin brought manager, Jim Curtin, along to see our athletes and congratulate them on their first three goals. The second half started off strong as we were leading the New York Red Bulls Unified team 3-0. After more thrilling play by both teams, the Red Bulls scored a goal, followed by another goal from our Unified team by Denzel McFadden. The Red Bulls were able to score one more time on our team leaving the final score Philadelphia Union 4 – New York Red Bulls 2.
After the Exchange Game, our Philadelphia athletes and partners were able to enjoy the Philadelphia Union vs New York Red Bulls game. During halftime, both Unified teams were brought on the field one last time to be awarded their medals. Sons of Ben (Philadelphia Union’s fan club) gave both Unified Teams roaring applause and support as all athletes and partners received their award. Following the Union/Red Bulls game, both Exchange teams and their families were invited to a reception before heading home.
Edwin Leon, Partner (left) and Angel Rose, Athlete (right) in Denver, Colorado participate in the Unified Sports All-Star Soccer Match
On Tuesday, July 28, 2015 two Northeast High School students who participate in our Interscholastic Unified Sports program, represented Philadelphia in the second annual Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Soccer Match, presented by MLS WORKS. Athlete Angel Rosa and partner Edwin Leon headed to Denver, Colorado to participate in the match as part of the East Team who competed against the West Team. The match held at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park featured a 7-v-7 East vs. West All-Star format. Each Unified Sports soccer team wore uniforms provide by ADIDAS and played a 7-v-7 match consisting of two 20-minute halves.
MLS Celebrities included MLS on-air talent Brian Dunseth who provided commentary and interviews with both players and coaches, Colorado Rapids players acted as on-hand coaches, and LA Galaxy and U.S. National Legend Landon Donovan presented the athletes and partners with medals after the game.
About Interscholastic Unified Sports
Special Olympics Pennsylvania Interscholastic Unified Sports® (IUS) is a fully-inclusive co-ed high school sports program which successfully facilitates social inclusion by bringing together a proportional number of students with and without disabilities on teams for training and competition. By providing opportunities for students with all types of disabilities and without disabilities to participate in sports meaningfully and by engaging other students in the school community, Interscholastic Unified Sports helps promote inclusion, acceptance, and respect.
Third-grade class acted as Fans in the Stands at our 2015 Unified Soccer Championship held for our Interscholastic Unified Sport (IUS) program within Philadelphia high schools. This is a post from Need in Deed’s Facebook page on June 12, 2015. They are posting about a third grade class from McCall School. We were thrilled they could join us for the day to celebrate inclusion on and off the soccer field.
Ms. Hantman’s 3rd graders from McCall School were passionate about celebrating the amazing skills on display at Northeast High School for the recent Special Olympics Pennsylvania – Philadelphia Soccer Tournament where Philadelphia students with intellectual disabilities competed for prizes. The Need in Deed 3rd graders are winding down their service learning project on Special Needs Populations. Among so many other things they want to do, they knew the local Special Olympics event needed a great cheering section. They wrote cheers, made banners and designed their own tee-shirts. Ms. Bottaro’s 5th graders even helped make pom poms out of used plastic bags as part of their efforts to reduce plastic bag waste! Finally the day arrived. We know it’s hard to imagine how great it was, so we took lots of pictures to help you celebrate with us.
FOX 29 News Philadelphia | WTXF-TV
On Friday, May 29, 2015, Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia program partnered with the School District of Philadelphia for the 3rd Annual Unified Soccer Championship held at Northeast High School, located at 1601 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia. Opening Ceremonies began at 9:30am followed by preliminary competition until about noon. After teams participated in preliminary competition, they then went head to head for the medal rounds including the Championship game! Special guest, Matt Cord, from WMMR helped start the day with an energetic, exciting Opening Ceremony.
The Championship featured teams from 11 Philadelphia high schools and Chester High School. Schools in attendance were: Abraham Lincoln, Audenried High School, Chester High School, Furness High School, George Washington High School, High School of the Future, Martin Luther King High School, Northeast High School, Sayre High School, South Philadelphia High School, and Thomas Edison High School. In addition to the soccer tournament, Creative and Performing Arts High School and Samuel Fels High School will showed their skills at bocce in some friendly competition.
Special Olympics Unified Sports® is an inclusive sports program that puts athletes with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. This Unified Soccer elective course, developed in partnership between the School District of Philadelphia and Special Olympics Pennsylvania, includes curriculum with youth leadership components, anti-bullying elements and soccer training and competition. The course provides greater access to sports for all students, with and without disabilities.
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