HOUGHTON, NY -- Warm weather, volunteers and athletes. What more could you ask for at the Third Annual Special Olympics Regional Bocce Ball Tournament held at Houghton College in September?
Close to 80 Houghton student-athletes volunteered their time assisting 52 Special Olympics athletes for a morning packed full of competition and smiles. The competitors represented 13 teams from training clubs from the surrounding area.
Houghton's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) considers this one of their main events of the year and typically begin the event planning in the late spring. Marissa Hews and Scott Berghaus, both SAAC representatives, who acted as co-committee leaders, worked tirelessly organizing this event. "This year's Special Olympics event was filled with healthy competition and an encouraging atmosphere," said Hews, who competes in women's lacrosse at Houghton. "The support of Houghton's athletic teams and staff was essential to the success of this event.
"Our volunteers were enthusiastic and welcoming to all of the participants. This gave them the opportunity to challenge themselves and have fun in the process. Thank you to everyone who contributed to our event; we are excited to see what next year brings."
Berghaus added, "It was a lot of fun being able to help make this event such a big success for the third year in a row. The participants of Special Olympics are what this day is all about and the people were absolutely great. We can't wait to have all of the teams back again next year."
SAAC really couldn't have put on an event of this caliber, if it wasn't for the guidance of Daniel Kuberka, Director of Program for the Western Region of Special Olympics and Josh Dority, Senior Director of Program for the Genesee Region of Special Olympics. We thank these two for their dedication and commitment to Special Olympics.
"We are so pleased to have Houghton College as the host for Special Olympics NY's super regional bocce competition," said Kuberka. "The campus community and Student Athlete Advisory Committee put a great deal of planning into this event, and it is reflected in the wonderful experience our athletes and coaches have each year."
This statement was confirmed by a participant's mother when she expressed, with tears in her eyes, how amazing this event was, "Your students are so kind, loving, enthusiastic and engaged. We couldn't have asked for a better group."