Emmett Abdo, a Philadelphia athlete was featured in SOAR’s 2019 edition. SOAR is the Special Olympics Athlete Review that gets published once a quarter by Special Olympics PA’s ALPS Coordinator. Emmett wrote an article titled Why I love Special Olympics.

Emmett shared his experiences with Special Olympics and how it shaped him to be the person and athlete he is today. He also gave readers what his next goals are. We’re rooting for you, Emmett! See below for his article. 

Why I love Special Olympics

Hi, my name is Emmett Abdo. I have been participating in Special Olympics for 17 years and have loved every moment of it! Swimming is my favorite sport; however, I also participate in soccer, tennis and basketball. Like many athletes, Special Olympics has helped me feel more confident and strive to do my very best in both sports and life. One example I’m proud of would be that it helped me get a job as a Bellhop at a Holiday Inn Express. Recently, I was asked to speak at the Leprechaun Run with my fellow Philly athletes Lisa Barbour and Charlie Zisette. For those that aren’t familiar, the Leprechaun Run is one of Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s fundraisers. Since I love speaking in front of large crowds, I decided that I wanted to be trained as a Global Messenger. As an athlete, I feel it’s important that not only I share with others what Special Olympics has meant for me, but also explain to others how they can help make a difference in  the lives of myself and the 20,000 other athletes throughout Pennsylvania.

My next biggest goal is to qualify for the 2022 USA Games in Orlando. Additionally, once I am trained as a Global Messenger, I would also like to be able to co-emcee Opening Ceremonies at Fall Festival.

I always enjoy telling others that just a little bit of their time or money can go a long way towards making a difference!

Emmett Abdo is an athlete in Philadelphia County and has been participating in Special Olympics for 17 years. Outside of Special Olympics, Emmett enjoys watching American Idol, America’s Got Talent and Dancing with the Stars as well as going to Reading Terminal Market.

athletes, If you would like to be featured in an upcoming edition of SOAR:

Share Your Story: If you would like to share a story on Summer Games, World Games or any other recent Special Olympics experiences, please e-mail Jordan Schubert at jschubert@specialolympicspa.org

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

Team	Place
Kevin Karcher & Pam Galone	1st Place
Tracey McGarvey & John Kulpa	1st Place
Kirstyn Cantres & Christina DiVergilis	2nd Place

Head Coach Carol Canady and Assistant Coaches Michelle Angerman

Soccer

Team Name	Athletes/Partners	Coach	Place
Philly Stars (5v5)	Allison Davidson, Danny Amrik, Jackie Lutts, Emmett Abdo, Lisa Barbour, Kristie Walls, Michael Weinberg, David Brent Williams	Head Coach Charles Abdo, Assistant Coaches Ronald Atkins Sr,	3rd Place
Stykers (Unified 7v7)	Brian Oldakowski, Ryan Milanaik, Joseph Rynkiewicz, Matthew Grabowski, Ryan Bogan, Michael Luciani, Brian Stulz, Hailey Hurst, Angel Rodriguez, Jonathon Boback	Head Coach Gary Bixby, Assistant Coaches Samuel Fioravanti Sr,	1st Place
United (7v7)	Charles Zisette, Mitchel Stahl, Sam Fioravanti Jr, Danny Charlton, Carl Irvis, Jesse Rose, Jason Bixby, Ian Capacio, Michael Castillo, Justin Martinez, Hope Anderson	Head Coach Walt Beckman, Assistant Coaches Karen Aviso, Jacqueline Bixby, Michelle Lebron	4th Place

 

Volleyball

Team Name	Athletes	Coach	Place
Special Stars	Derrick Jackson, Teddy Angerman, Ray Anderson, James Shelton, Stanley Dluzniewski, Kelly Dluzniewski, Allison Ruitzer, Carlyn Robinson, Sharon Quarles, Francis Bradshaw	Head Coach Rosemary Duffy, Assistant Coach Andy Delworth, Jon Garvey	3rd Place

 

Volleyball Skills:

Cyla Bradshaw	1st Place
Marissa Williams	3rd Place

Head Coach Monica Bradshaw

 

Our three Philadelphia soccer teams made their season debut at the 2018 Fall Sports Classic. This event was hosted by Special Olympics PA – Area M on Sunday, September 16th in Hershey, PA. Over 800 Special Olympics athletes from across PA competed in Bocce, Long Distance Running/Walking, Powerlifting, Soccer, and Volleyball for the 15th Annual Fall Sports Classic. The event was based at four different locations in the Hershey area. Hershey High School hosted powerlifting and volleyball, Hershey Middle School hosted volleyball, Founders Field hosted LDR/W and soccer, and Hershey Italian Lodge hosted bocce. 

It was the perfect day for our soccer teams to make their debut, clear and sunny with a nice breeze to ensure our athlete didn’t get too hot. Our three soccer teams, Philly United, Strykers, and Stars and Stripes gave a strong showing as they went head-to-head with their competitors. This is the first time Philadelphia has had a Unified Soccer Team participate in the Community Program. A unified team means individuals with and without intellectual disabilities train and compete together. Through training and competing together, friendships and a mutual respect are born between both athletes (individuals with intellectual disabilities) and partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities). Parents, coaches, and fans were excited to get outside and cheer on our teams as they made it one step closer to the end goal – state games, aka, Fall Festival.

Results:

Team	Coach	Athletes/Partners	Place
Philly United (7v7)	Walt Beckman	Charles Zisette, Mitchel Stahl, Sam Fioravanti Jr, Danny Charlton, Carl Irvis, Jesse Rose, Jason Bixby, Ian Capacio, Michael Castillo, Justin Martinez, Hope Anderson	2nd
Strykers (Unified 7v7)	Stacy Plumbo	Brian Oldankowski, Ryan Milanaik, Joseph Rynkiewicz, Matthew Grabowski, Ryan Bogan, Michael Luciani, Brian Stulz, Hailey Hurst, Angel Rodriguez, Jonathon Boback	2nd
Stars and Stripes (5v5)	Charles Abdo	Allison Davidson, Danny Amrik, Jackie Lutts, Emmett Abdo, Lisa Barbour, Kristie Walls, Michael Weinberg, David Brent Williams	2nd

Brandywine Realty Trust hosted the First Ever Philly Plunge Kickoff on Wednesday, August 8th at the Commerce Square Court Yard. Music, water ice, and beach balls were all the things necessary to cool off from the hot day where temperatures were reaching the low nineties. Brandywine Realty Trust helped us excite people for the Philadelphia Polar Plunge that will be held on November 30th at Drexel University’s Recreation Center (3301 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104) between 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Unlike the Kickoff, the weather during the Philadelphia Polar Plunge will hopefully be a brisk day where brave souls will jump into a freezing pool and be #FreezinForAReason. The Philadelphia Polar Plunge is Philadelphia’s premiere fundraiser, where the goal is to raise funds for all of our programming as well as awareness for our athletes and programs.

PJ Brown & Her Resistance headlined the event on a stage that was centered in the courtyard. As people flowed in and out of the courtyard for lunch, Kristin Lewis, author of You Are Special, was also on-site selling her book and signing copies! Music, snacks, and books were outside and if attendees wanted to cool off, they had to look no further than Pagano’s Market & Bar who ran a drink special to support the Philadelphia Polar Plunge. In addition to the fun, Brandywine Realty Trust and Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia had raffles that attendees could win. The hot day couldn’t contain the enthusiasm of Special Olympics staff, who were there to help answer questions about the Philly Plunge and share their experiences. As the event continued, people were chatting about the plunge and ideas were popping into everyone’s minds for costumes, business wear and ways to help out Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia. The kickoff was not only a success but it reminded everyone that with all of us together that we can create a community of love and inclusion for all.

Thank you to Brandywine Realty Trust, PJ Brown & Her Resistance, Kristin Lewis, and Pagano’s Market & Bar for their support of the Philly Plunge!

For more information on the Philadelphia Plunge, click here. To register for this year’s Philly Plunge, click here.

 

The 2018 TD Campaign marked the 10th anniversary of a partnership between TD Bank and Special Olympics. TD Bank set a goal of raising $1,000,000 for Special Olympics programs throughout their footprint on the east coast of the United States from Maine to Florida. The six-week campaign ran from Monday, May 14th to Friday, June 22nd. During the campaign, TD asks members of their community to help support Special Olympics programs and this year continued their trading card tradition. Philadelphia was lucky to have an athlete, Michael Younkers, featured on one of these cards.

During the campaign, Philadelphia athletes visited the twenty-two branches across the Philadelphia region and meet employees, took tours, worked the counters, and interacted with customers. Our athletes loved sharing their triumphs and experiences with everyone and the TD employees loved getting to know our athletes and hanging out with them in return.

To cap off the campaign, the Philadelphia commercial teams hosted Philadelphia athletes at their offices for a meet and greet. Since commercial teams typically don’t get athlete visits, this was a special treat for them. Athletes and TD employees alike got together for lunch where TD employees learned more about Special Olympics and our mission and local program. After learning about Special Olympics, TD employees got to mix and mingle with our athletes to learn more about them, their experiences, and what makes them who they are.

When all was said and done, TD finished strong and surpassed their $1,000,000 goal.

Photos:

It was a beautiful day, perfect to be outside for Track and Field Championships held at Shippensburg University on Saturday, May 26th. In their first appearance at the state championships, MLK Wins 2018 PIAA State Track & Field Championship in the Special Olympics Division. Martin Luther King’s Unified Team joined their varsity team on the journey to Shippensburg University – and even donned the same school shirt as the varsity team. To get here, Martin Luther King’s Unified Track & Field team competed in two local tournaments against other Philadelphia schools and then won the Philadelphia Track & Field Championship. 

Sophomore India Grierson, Sophomore Precious Ford, Junior Maurice Griffin, Senior Ojay Harris, Sophomore Zhaire Harris-White, Junior Jasir Newsome, Senior Dante Young-Connor, Sophomore Isaiah Collins, Junior Shaheed Cooper, Sophomore Augustus Hill Jr, Sophomore Malik Jones, Sophomore Nagid Sawyer, and Junior Jalen Williams made up Martin Luther King’s Unified Team. Athletes and partners competed in the 100-Meter Dash, 400-Meter Race, 800-Meter Race,  Shot-put, Mini-Javelin, and the 4×100-Meter Relay. MLK took an early lead after the 100-Meter Dash and held on to the lead throughout the championship. 

Congratulations, Martin Luther King! We look forward to what your next season brings!

Photos

For all photos from the event, click here.

 

Team Results

Place	School	Final Score
1st Place	Martin Luther King High School (Philadelphia)	76
2nd Place	Red Lion High School	63
3rd Place	McDowell High School	60
4th Place	Souderton Area High School (Montgomery)	56
5th Place	General McLane High School	51
6th Place	Brashear High School	44

 

Individual Event Results

100 Meter Dash

Year in School	First Name	Final Time	Place
Freshman	Denim Morris
Senior	Ojay Harris	15.97	1
Senior	Dandre Young-Connor	17.93
Sophomore	Isaiah Collins	13.82	2
Sophomore	Nagid Sawyer	12.78	1
Sophomore	Augustus Hill Jr	14.14
Sophomore	Malik Jones
Junior	Jalen Williams	11.88	1

 

400 Meter Race

Year in School	First Name	Final Time	Place
Sophomore	Precious Ford	01:21.7	1
Junior	Maurice Griffin	1:29.94
Sophomore	India Grierson	1:28.60
Sophomore	Zhaire Harris-White	1:16.07
Junior	Jasir Newsome	1:01.41	1

 

800 Meter Race

Junior, Shaheed Cooper, 2:24.89, 2nd Place

Shot Put

Year in School	First Name	Best Put	Place
Senior	Dandre Young-Connor	21	1
Junior	Shaheed Cooper	27.5	1
Sophomore	Augustus Hill Jr	32.4	1
Senior	Ojay Harris	46.6	1

 

Mini JAv

Year in School	First Name	Best Throw	Place
Sophomore	Zhaire Harris-White	29.9	1
Sophomore	India Grierson	32.11	3
Junior	Maurice Griffin	40.6	2
Sophomore	Precious Ford	42.6	1
Junior	Jasir Newsome	29.1
Junior	Jalen Williams	43.11
Sophomore	Isaiah Collins	71.11	1
Sophomore	Nagid Sawyer	74.11	2

 

4×100 Meter Relay

Jasir Newsome (Junior), Maurice Griffin (Junior), Isaiah Collins (Sophomore), Nagid Sawyer (Sophomore)

54.61

1st Place

 

 

Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia’s 2018 Unified Track & Field Championship was held on Monday, May 7, 2018, at the South Philadelphia Supersite. It was the perfect day to celebrate our athletes, partners and coaches and all the hard work they put on during the 2018 IUS Track & Field season. Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia Director, Chase Trimmer, kicked things off by welcoming everyone to the event and announcing the winning school would get a chance to compete at the PIAA Track and Field Championship in Shippensburg, PA. After some welcoming remarks, the five schools entered through the parade of athletes. Schools participating in the second annual Philadelphia Unified Track & Field Championship included George Washington High School. Hill Freedman, Martin Luther King High School, Northeast High School and host South Philadelphia High School. Special Olympics PA Board Member, Tony Gillespie joined us for the day and offered luck to all athletes and partners competing. Margaret Lasseter and Tra Griffin from South Philadelphia then lead the athletes and partners in the Special Olympics athlete oath of “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. Following the athlete oath, Coach Regina Johnson from Martin Luther King High School lead the coaches in the Coaches Oath of “I promise that we shall, take part in these Special Olympics games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them. In the true spirit of sportsmanship. For the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.” After Margaret and Tra came back up to officially declare the Unified Track and Field Championship open, the crowd erupted in applause and athletes and partners got ready to compete.

The 100-meter dash kicked off the Championship. As athletes raced down the track, South Philadelphia’s cheerleading squad was there to cheer them onto strong finishes. The 100-meter dash was followed by the 400-meter race and the 800-meter race which showcased the long distance runners of each school. After these track events, athletes split up to participate in one of three field events – long jump, mini javelin, or shotput. Each field event saw some great jumps and throws by both athletes and partners alike, with some creating a new personal record for themselves. 

Photos

Individual Results

School Key:

GW – George Washington High School, HF – Hill Freedman, MLK – Martin Luther King High School, NE – Northeast High School, SP – South Philadelphia High School

100 Meter Dash

School	A/P	Name	Time	Place
SP	Partner	Tracesaan Griffin	12.06	1
HF	Partner	Darius Hunter-McLean	14.28	3
NE	Partner	Fransico Correia	13.41	2
HF	Partner	Kayla Marshall	14.78	6
HF	Athlete	Tahlik Moon	12.12	1
HF	Partner	Justice Saunders	14	5
NE	Partner	Pedro Alicea	12.2	2
HF		Keith Jones	12.53	3
NE	Partner	Caio Desouza	12.17	4
SP	Partner	Vaten Pridgen	13.8	3
GW	Athlete	Ryan Caldwell	14.91	4
HF	Partner	Aniya Gentles	13.79	2
SP	Athlete	Nasir Martin	13.63	1
GW	Athlete	Joseph McGinley	14.91	4
GW	Athlete	Johnathan Aguliera	15.46	3
MLK	Athlete	Semaj Glover	13.69	2
SP	Athlete	Maragret Lassiter	15.63	4
NE	Partner	Andra Silva	12.37	1
NE	Athlete	Samirah Stevens	15.5	1
HF	Partner	Destiny Goldmas	15.79	2
MLK	Athlete	Ludiner Chery	17.29	3
GW	Athlete	Aaron Wilson	16.16	1
MLK	Athlete	Dandre Young-Conner	19.66	5
NE	Athlete	Maria Trinidad	16.28	3
GW	Athlete	Nicholas Delgado	16.2	2
NE	Athlete	Alysha Hawkins	17.54	4
GW	Athlete	Kassim Rollerson	19.13	5
GW	Athlete	Brandon Taylor	17.07	2
GW	Athlete	Jordan Scott	17.85	4
MLK	Athlete	Ojay Harris	15.79	1
GW	Athlete	Dominic Maffei	17.72	3
GW	Athlete	Anthony Le	21.28	6
GW	Athlete	Oluwasegen Sodeke	21.28	3
GW	Athlete	Zachary Zimri	20.16	2
HF	Partner	Jihara Richardson	16.78	1
NE	Athlete	Karen Luong	25.9	5
NE	Athlete	John Zhen	22.34	4
HF	Athlete	Khyree Scott	29.72	3
NE	Athlete	Chris Chandler	21.91	1
NE	Athlete	Savanah Ayala	22.12	2
NE	Athlete	Adam Loai	30.63	4
NE	Athlete	Falu Anthony	32.37	5
GW	Athlete	Mitchell Cafolla	41.43	6

 

400 Meter Run

School	A/P	Name	Time	Place
MLK	Athlete	Jasir Newsome	1:02	2
SP	Partner	Ibrahim Cisse-Karamoko	1:00	1
MLK	Partner	Thomas Bell	1:05.22	1
HF	Athlete	Russell Shelton	1:08	3
HF	Partner	Ariel Odom	1:19.00	4
SP	Athlete	Reggie Blanton	1:06.78	2
GW	Athlete	Peter Pulukchu	1:17.28	2
GW	Athlete	Ronald Pierre	1:24.63	3
GW	Athlete	Faheem Rucker	1:16.15	1
HF	Partner	Jasmine Addison	1:28.72	4
GW	Athlete	Kwesi Quainoo	1:08.34	1
MLK	Athlete	Zhaire Harris White	1:16.00	4
GW	Athlete	Juan Espinosa	1:08.38	2
MLK	Partner	Nagid Sawyer	1:13.28	3
MLK	Athlete	Maurice Griffin	1:18.81	1
HF	Partner	Christian Moreno	1:22.97	3
HF	Athlete	Laurance Warner	1:20.34	2
MLK	Athlete	India Grierson	1:31.50	4
HF	Athlete	Iyana Sipes	1:31.84	2
GW	Athlete	Leyla Kamilova	1:43.06	3
MLK	Partner	Taylor Calloway	1:29.50	1
GW	Athlete	Elizabeth Vicario	1:43.66	1
SP	Athlete	Joseph Polizzi	2:28.43	4
NE	Athlete	Uwase Mutoni	1:45.32	2
GW	Athlete	Daika Douze	2:00.00	3
MLK	Athlete	Trevor Thompson	3:10.00	6
NE	Athlete	Samuel Godoi	3:08.85	5

 

800 Meter Race

School	A/P	Name	Time	Place
SP	Partner	Arisode Intwali	2:24.86	1
NE	Athlete	Isais Aponte	3:22.42	1
MLK	Athlete	Precious Ford	3:40.60	3
SP	Athlete	Charles Galvani	3:36.76	2

 

4×100 Relay

Teams	Time	Place
GW 2	1:06.50	4
GW 1	1:03.97	3
SP 1	:58.34	1
HF 1	1:01.75	2
MLK 1 (Boys)	1:07.91	2
HF 2	1:08.34	3
NE 1	1:07.50	1

 

4×400 Relay

Team	Times	Place
GW 1	4:38.41	1
MLK 1	5:26.90	3
SP 1	4:56.41	2
NE 1	5:40.03	4

 

Long Jump

School	A/P	Name	1st Attempt	2nd Attempt	3rd Attempt	Place
GW	Athlete	Joseph McGinley	6′ 4.5″	4′ 8″	F	2
SP	Partner	Abudullah Ali	7′ 11″	7′	7′ 4″	1
GW	Athlete	Peter Pulukchu	F	10′ 9.5″	9′ 2″	2
GW	Athlete	Faheem Rucker	F	10′ 10″	11′ 1.5″	1
HF	Partner	Kayla Marshall	9′ 9.5″	10′ 2″	9′ 4″	3
GW	Athlete	Juan Espinosa	9′ 9″	11′ 7″	12′ 4″	3
MLK	Partner	Taylor Calloway	7′ 11″	8′	F	4
GW	Athlete	Kwesi Quainoo	13′ 3″	14′	14′ 9″	2
MLK	Partner	Thomas Bell	14′	15′ 3″	14′ 7.5″	1

 

Mini Javelin

School	A/P	Name	1st Attempt	2nd Attempt	3rd Attempt	Place
GW	Partner	Mitchell Cafolla	F	4′ 6″	F	5
GW	Partner	Anthony Le	6′ 6″	F	17′ 3″	2
HF	Athlete	Khyree Scott	9′ 8″	7′ 10″	5′ 8″	3
GW	Partner	Oluwasegen Sodeke	F	8′ 11″	8′ 5″	4
NE	Partner	Matisse Barrett	20′ 11″	24′ 8″	26′ 5″	1
MLK	Athlete	Zhaire Harris White	22′ 4″	20′ 4″	15′ 4″	3
GW	Partner	Jordan Scott	F	32′ 11″	21′ 4″	1
MLK	Athlete	Trevor Thompson	F	23′ 5″	23′ 7″	2
NE	Athlete	John Zhen	11′ 8″	15′ 3″	F	4
MLK	Athlete	India Grerson	23′ 9″	F	10′ 2″	2
HF	Athlete	Laurance Warner	22′ 7″	22′ 4″	F	3
HF	Partner	Sammy Donnie	26′ 7″	28′ 7″	21′ 2″	1
HF	Athlete	Tahlik Moon	54′ 3″	39′ 8″	44′ 10″	1
SP	Athlete	Alvin	34′ 7″	23′ 2″	F	2
GW	Athlete	Ronald Pierre	19′ 8″	F	F	4
GW	Athlete	Kassim Rollerson	22.7″	23′ 11″	24′ 11″	3
MLK	Athlete	Maurice Griffin	F	F	F	P
GW	Athlete	Aaron Wilson	28′ 7″	21′ 6″	23′ 6″	3
GW	Partner	Tiffany Sourovelis	19′ 9″	18′ 5″	21′ 4″	4
MLK	Athlete	Precious Ford	24′ 11″	34′ 11″	27′ 4″	1
GW	Athlete	Leyla Kamilova	32′ 8″	29′ 6″	27′ 4″	2
SP	Athlete	Antonio Burnett	22′ 4″	36′ 10″	39′ 11″	4
GW	Partner	Yesenia Lebron	F	44′ 5″	41′ 10″	3
MLK	Athlete	Jasir Newsome	25′ 9″	24′ 7″	36′ 9″	5
HF	Partner	Christian Moreno	58′ 7″	60′ 7″	63′ 5″	1
HF	Partner	Justice Saunders	F	50′ 3″	47′ 10″	2
MLK	Athlete	Semaj Glover	27′ 11″	F	F	4
HF	Partner	Destiny Goldmas	37′ 7″	46′ 10″	32′ 4″	3
SP	Athlete	Andre Thach	40′ 7″	34′ 1″	56′ 3″	1
GW	Athlete	Johnathan Aguliera	38′ 9″	53′ 11″	54′ 3″	2
HF	Athlete	Mike Ellis	58′ 7″	F	73′ 5″	1
NE	Athlete	Jordan Ganges	57′ 9″	29′ 6″	41′	3
MLK	Partner	Isaiah Collins	69′ 5″	57′ 5″	60′ 6″	2
NE	Partner	Fransico Correia	70′ 8″	74′ 9″	74′ 2″	2
HF		Keith Jones	F	57′ 6″	51′ 5″	4
NE	Partner	Andra Silva	57′	F	70′ 3″	3
MLK	Partner	Nagid Sawyer	47′ 1″	78′ 2″	66′ 3″	1

 

Shotput

School	A/P	Name	1st Attempt	2nd Attempt	3rd Attempt	Place
HF	Athlete	Mark Robbins	5′ 11″	5′ 10″	5′ 3″	4
NE	Athlete	Chris Chandler	7′ 1″	8′ 1″	7′	3
GW	Athlete	Brandon Taylor	7′ 7″	9′ 11″	11′ 11″	2
GW	Athlete	Elizabeth Vicario	12′ 1″	14′	15′ 5″	1
GW	Partner	Dominic Maffei	13′ 9″	12′ 9″	12′ 5″	5
NE	Athlete	Adam Loai	14′ 3″	F	15′ 10″	3
NE	Athlete	Samirah Stevens	15′ 11″	15′ 9″	15′ 8″	2
MLK	Athlete	Ludiner Chery	20′	18′ 11″	19′ 3″	1
HF	Partner	Jihara Richardson	14′ 7″	14′ 6″	14′ 11 ‘	4
HF	Athlete	Sean Washington	17′	17′ 1″	21′ 1″	3
MLK	Athlete	Dandre Young-Conner	16′ 5″	18′ 11″	18′ 5″	5
HF	Partner	Aniya Gentles	16′	17′ 5″	21′ 4″	2
GW	Athlete	Zachary Zimri	18′ 5″	19′ 2″	17′ 6″	4
GW	Athlete	Nicholas Delgado	23′ 4″	22′ 1″	21′ 3″	1
HF	Partner	Eiyreana Alford	19′ 9″	22′	21′ 4″	3
NE	Athlete	Isais Aponte	21′	22′	22′ 1″	4
SP	Athlete	Matthew Webb	22′ 2″	24′	20′ 3″	2
MLK	Athlete	OJ Harris	45′ 10″	43′ 9″	43′ 5″	1
HF	Athlete	Mikhale Chisolm Brown	33′ 1″	28′ 7″	33′ 11″	4
SP	Partner	Arturo Jimenez	36′ 7″	37′ 6″	36′ 8″	3
NE	Partner	Caio Desouza	37′ 5″	34′ 7″	37′ 9″	2
HF	Partner	Darius Hunter-McLean	43′ 4″	44′ 9″	45′ 8″	1

 

The 2018 Penn Relays was the 128th running of the relays and featured athletes from more than 200 colleges, 1,000 high schools, & professionals competing in the three-day festival. Special Olympics was represented by delegations from Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, Maryland and Massachusets. Besides Philadelphia, other counties representing PA included Bucks, Carbon, Lehigh and Montgomery. Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia sent students and partners from South Philadelphia High School to compete in the 4×100 Special Olympics Relay and the 4×100 Special Olympics Unified Relay. In addition to the relays, one athlete competed in the 100-meter dash. 

The Penn Relays took place from Thursday, April 26th to Saturday, April 28th. Special Olympics delegations met outside of Franklin field on Friday, April 27th and headed to Penn’s campus to get some last minute practice in before heading to the big stage. 

Results:

Event	Athlete(s)/Partners	Time	Place
100M Dash	Margaret Lassiter	:15.94	1st
4×100 Relay	Antonio Burnett, Marquan White, Nasir Martin, Margaret Lassiter	1:07.31	9th
4×100 Unified Relay	Aristode Intwali, Alvin Huynh, Nyheem Erwin, Tracesaan Griffen		DNF

For all Special Olympics results, click here.

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. 

	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

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. 

	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)

 

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. 

	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

 

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.

	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 TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP!

After a weather postponement, Unified Bocce teams from George Washington High School and Hill-Freedman World Academy made their way to Camp Hill, PA on Friday, March 23 for the 2018 Interscholastic Unified Indoor Bocce State Championship. Both teams qualified for the championship after placing first in their respective divisions in the Philadelphia City Championship earlier in the season. This year, eleven high school teams advanced from seven regions of the state.  Like Geroge Washington and Hill-Freedman, each school earned a spot in this event by winning their county or city championships. Our two Philadelphia teams joined the Rochester Rams and Central Valley Warriors who represented Beaver, the Upper Dauphin Trojans who represented Dauphin, the Haverford Fords who represented Delaware, the Grove City Eagles and West Middlesex Big Reds who represented Mercer, North Penn Knights who represented Montgomery, and the North Penn Liberty Mounties who represented Tioga counties. 

During the Opening Ceremony, Mike Handleman, joined the head coach from North Penn Liberty High School, Carissa Flook, to lead the coaches in the Special Olympics Coaches Oath. Right before the Games were declared open, John Gombocz, Special Education Advisor for the PA Dept. of Education took to a bocce court to roll out our first ceremonial ball. George Washington and Hill-Freedman faced off each other in the first game with George Washington taking the win with a score of 12-2. In the next game, George Washington faced North Penn High School and lost 3-7. Hill-Freedman went up against West Middlesex High School and lost 4-11. The last round would determine where teams would end up on the podium. George Washington faced North Penn Liberty in hopes to make it to the podium with a bronze medal. Unfortunate, Geroge Washington lost in the last frame with the final score being 5-7. On the other side of the arena, Hill Freedman played Haverford High School for 7th place and ended up losing 2-10. In the end, Hill-Freedman walked away with the eighth place ribbon and Geroge Washington walked away with the fourth place ribbon. Congratulations to both schools, the athletes, partners and coaches on all of your hard work and making it to the state championships. You all truly live out the vision of Unified.

Teams:

George Washington Eagles	Hill-Freedman High School
Alyssa Henry, Senior Kaitlyn Pemper, Senior Karen Hua, Senior Faheem Rucker, Junior Nikolas Feaster, Junior Isaiah Jackson, Junior Perla Ayala, Sophomore Ivri McDaniel, Sophomore Yvonne Schwiker, Coach Lori Solomon, Coach	Conrad Edwards, Senior Sean Washington, Senior Laurance Warner, Senior Mark Robbins, Senior Justice Saunders, Junior Justin Berry, Junior Anniya Gentles, Freshman Jibard Richardson, Freshman Mike Handelman, Coach Joseph Moore, Coach

 

Photos:

For all photos from the event from Photography by Dane, click here.