University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Volunteer at Special Olympics
6/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
University of Minnesota student athletes were well represented at the 2010 Special Olympics Summer Games, held annually last weekend, June 17-19, at the Bierman Track. Over 12 U of M Golden Gophers served as volunteers for the event. Minnesota has had a long standing tradition of Gopher athletes volunteering with the organization, in particular over the last nine years.
Nearly 1,300 Special Olympics athletes from across Minnesota competed at the 2010 Summer Games. One of five state Special Olympics Minnesota competitions annually, Summer Games includes track and field events at Bierman Track, volleyball at the U of M Recreation Center, tennis at Life Time Fitness in Lakeville and gymnastics competition at Mini-Hops Gymnastics Club in Minnetonka.
Gopher volunteers at this year's Special Olympics included Sara Clancy and Katie Shelander from soccer, Anthony Jacobs and Matt Stommes from football, softball's Sammie Howard and Mallory Mitchell, Ana Balboa and Ross Cameratta from women's and men's gymnastics and track members Kayla Dahl, Caitlyn Dongoske, Shanna Campbell and Jack Szmanda. The Gopher athletes were just 12 of the 1,600 volunteers that helped make the Summer Games possible. All competitions were free and open to the public.
Some Gopher athletes cheered on the competitors or assisted with the staging areas, game booths or award stands. However, Clancy served as a coach to one of the track teams. She started to coach the Minneapolis Eagles this past spring. She volunteered last year at the state meet, but now that she completed her eligibility with the soccer team, she wanted to help out more, and volunteered to help coach. The team had practice every Wednesday where they worked on the different events and ran.
"I really enjoyed working with the athletes," Clancy said. "They keep you on your toes and amaze me every time I was around them. Working with Special Olympics has been a very humbling experience and I hope to continue with the Minneapolis Eagles during the bowling and basketball seasons."
The University of Minnesota athletics department has done over 180 outreach events since September 2009 and has accumulated over 7,000 hours of service within the Twin Cities community. All 25 Gopher teams and over 575 of its 700 student athletes at the U of M have volunteered through M.A.G.I.C. (Maroon and Gold Impacting the Community) this year alone.
Special Olympics Minnesota offers children and adults with intellectual disabilities year-round sports training and competition. Through Special Olympics' athletic, health and leadership programs, people with intellectual disabilities transform themselves, their communities and the world.
Special Olympics information provided by http://www.specialolympicsminnesota.org/
