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!

Results:

Division 1

1. Montgomery Warriors
2. Philadelphia Pure Energy

Division 2

1. Montgomery Teal Seals
2. Philadelphia Wildcats I
3. Montgomery Hawks I

Division 3

1. Mongomery Key Lime
2. Philadelphia Stars
3. Philadelphia Wildcats II

Photos:

More photos can be found on our Facebook Page

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

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.

Photos

For all photos, please see our Facebook Page

Results

Division 1

1. Clinton County Hawks
2. Montgomery County Warriors

Division 2

1. Delaware County Slam
2. Philadelphia Spike Blasters
3. Philadelphia Phlash

Division 3

1. Montgomery County Teal Seals
2. Philadelphia Wildcats I
3. Montgomery County Hawks I
4. Montgomery County Blue Barracuda’s

Division 4

1. Area M County Blasters
2. Montgomery County Hawks II
3. Philadelphia Special Stars
4. Philadelphia Wildcats II

Thank you to all of the coaches, Officials and volunteers who helped make this day possible!

View Photos on our Facebook Page

Results:

Group 1: 

RESULTS:

Games: 

Games:

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

On Saturday, December 6th, Special Olympics Philadelphia held its 26^th Annual Invitational Volleyball Tournament.   We saw many athletes spike to the top. Nine teams made up of over 100 athletes from Philadelphia, Montgomery, Area M, and Lancaster Counties participated in what was a day filled with competition, fun and excitement for all.  Athletes spike to the top as they competed for the gold, silver and bronze. The tournament was exciting and as the day went on the competition only grew more intense as each team score got closer to their opponents.  Every athlete had their game face on and ready for a rematch.  But as all good things it must come to an end and below you will find the team’s standings for the three levels of competition placement.

A tremendous thank you to Frankford High School for hosting the event, as well as the 20 coaches and the 125 volunteers and officials who came out to assist us make this possible.  Thank you to everyone who attended and we can’t wait to see you in 2016!

Division 1

1^st Place – Philly Warriors

2^nd Place – Area M Spikers

3^rd Place – Philly Cougars

Division 2

1^st Place – Montco Red Hot Chili Peppers

2^nd Place – Montco White Snakes

3^rd Place – Lancaster Owls

Division 3

1^st Place – Montco Hawks

2^nd Place – Montco Moody Blues

3^rd Place – Philly Angels

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! 

Results:

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

Soccer:

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 

Soccer Individual Skills

Nick Uhniat- 1st Place

Kayla Atkins – 2nd Place

Marlene Johnson – 4th Place

Lafayette Charleston -4th Place

Volleyball Individual Skills

James Shelton – 3rd Place

Video recap:

via Villanova Television. 

Fox 29 Weekend News, Lauren Dugan Covers the Pennsylvania Special Olympics

Photos from 2015 Fall Fest:

Philadelphia’s 5-a-side soccer team, Stars and Stripes, after earning the Bronze Medal during the impressive showing at the Fall Sectional

On October 5, 2013, Special Olympics Pennsylvania head their 2013 Eastern Fall Sectional at East Stroudsburg University. The Philadelphia local program had an impressive showing at the fall sectional as athletes competed in soccer, bocce, volleyball, powerlifting and long distance running and walking were the sports offered at the Fall Sectional. Three bocce teams, two soccer teams (a 5-a-side team and a 7-a-side team), and a volleyball team represented the Philadelphia local program. The Eastern Fall Sectional is held to determine which athletes qualify for Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s Fall Festival, hosted by Villanova University. After a day of intense competition, we are proud to announce our teams had an impressive showing at the fall sectional.

Results:

• Soccer (5v5) – “The Stars and Stripes” earned Bronze. (Alternative for Fall Fest)
• Soccer (7×7) – “The Kicks” earned Gold. (Advancing to Fall Fest)
• Volleyball – “The Spike Blasters” earned Bronze (Advancing to Fall Fest)
• Bocce – Two doubles teams earned Silver in their divisions, one doubles team won Gold in their division 

Congratulations to all of our talented athletes and our coaches who helped them achieve their medals!