Special Olympics

August 15, 2022 by mlemon

Special Olympics soccer tournament included teams from 25 countries

Thanks to the hard work of several departments across campus, Schoolcraft College proved to be an outstanding host for the Special Olympics Unified Cup 2022 presented by Toyota, which welcomed soccer players from around the world.

The St. Joe’s Sports Dome and the College’s soccer field were the sites of men’s preliminary matches August 1-5. In addition, the “Healthy Athletes” program came to the TrinityElite Sports Performance Center (previously named the St. Joe’s Mercy Elite Sports Center) to provide hearing and vision screenings as well as strategies for maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle, including nutrition and exercise, for the teams.

A total of 22 Special Olympics Unified teams totaling more than 300 players with and without intellectual disabilities (Unified partners) represented by 25 countries competed. You can read a full recap of the tournament online.

soccer players in action — The Special Olympics Unified Cup brought together teams with players with and without intellectual disabilities. Morocco defeated the United States 3-0 in this match played Thursday, August 4, in the St. Joe’s Sports Dome on the campus of Schoolcraft College. Photo credit: Brian Glass/Special Olympics.

The combination of excellent facilities and a strong, collaborative attitude and expertise among the College’s Recreation, Conference and Events, Facilities, Culinary Operations and other departments made Schoolcraft College a natural site for this global competition.

Here are reactions from some of the various departments:

Matthew Cooper, Recreation Facilities Manager

“The Recreation Services team has been working with key representatives from Special Olympics and their partners for approximately one year through many facility tours, conference calls, and virtual walkthroughs. This event took a great amount of coordination and planning to pull off, so to see it come to fruition has been very exciting.

table booths offering health screenings — The three-day Healthy Athletes program held in the TrinityElite Sports Performance Center offered health screenings and more to the teams.

“We welcomed staff, volunteers, spectators, and athletes from across the country and around the globe, and we were thrilled to be able to showcase our venues to that crowd. In total, 10 different men’s international teams played at the St. Joe’s Sports Dome, and the competition was intense! We’ve always felt that our facilities were top-notch, and I think that was proved (August 1-5).

“Personally, I enjoyed getting to know the people working behind the scenes as well as the athletes who were so excited to be here.”

Heather Moore, Director of Culinary Operations

“Special Olympics was an awesome week for Culinary Operations. It was amazing to see everyone work together as a team to prepare and serve 1,750 wraps, 283 pounds of salad, 1,750 chips and 1,452 cookies! It was a great opportunity to internationally showcase Schoolcraft Culinary Operations.

“We stayed with our value of fresh, high-quality food, and did not sacrifice that with any form of shortcuts, which is easy to try to justify with large volume. A special thanks to Chef Tom Clark for leading the kitchen to success! In addition to the large volume, we had the obstacle of Michigan August heat.

“Thank you to everyone, especially Holly McDermott, who helped serve and keep our food at safe temperatures all week long. Be proud of the fact that you all have the power to rise above any situation and deliver the best results no matter the circumstances. Excellent work, and go Team Cul Ops!”

Kelly Wuorenma, Recreation Coordinator

“During the three-day Healthy Athletes program held in the TrinityElite Sports Performance Center, the energy from both the volunteers and athletes was incredible and infectious. This event accommodated every athlete from all 25 nations and allowed time for the athletes to visit each station. The stations provided were: Fun Fitness, Health Promotion, Opening Eyes, Pediatric Screening, Healthy Hearing and Special Smiles. Each station gave free exams and the necessary medical devices, such as glasses and hearing aids, and/or referrals.

“During the second day, Miss America, Emma Broyles, stopped in to see all the wonderful things the volunteers were doing for the athletes. She toured every station, asked questions, took pictures with anyone who asked and was very appreciative for the work being done.

Everything went smoothly, and I received several compliments on the facility. One of the representatives from Starkey, the Healthy Hearing station, said it was the best venue he’d ever been to and didn’t feel sore after being on his feet all day! They also loved the food from the Elite Market & Smoothie Bar and were grateful for the air conditioning when it was 90-plus degrees. Overall, everything went well, and we all learned so much from the Unified Cup.

“I also want to mention that our Facilities team was amazing. From helping to unload the heavy sound booths to keeping the fields and TrinityElite Sports Performance Center clean, they did a fantastic job!”

Lisa Meinzinger-Abraham, Account Manager, Conference and Event Services

“Outstanding! This is the word that comes to mind when looking back at the hospitality shown by Schoolcraft College and each department from beginning to end. Athletics happily hosted multiple guided tours for the Special Olympics International team, and Culinary Operations pulled off extraordinary large-scale (multiple) daily lunch deliveries with precision and grace.

Matthew Cooper and Miss America, Emma Broyles — The Special Olympics Unified Cup drew several VIPs to campus, including Miss America, Emma Broyles, who is with Matthew Cooper, Recreation Facilities Manager.

“Shipping and Receiving went above and beyond for months ahead of time to deliver items to their POD as well as last-minute oversized items on site. They even offered to pick up a freezer from Home Depot! Facilities staff members were flexible and demonstrated their usual brand of hard work and timeliness. Media was on-point being tasked with providing clear sound on media-bare fields, while shielding expensive equipment from the elements. Chief Engstrom and Campus Police were ever-patient and helpful, as always.

“Leading up to the event, Conference & Event Services tirelessly tweaked contract requirements, paying special attention not to leave out any details. This event required three separate detailed contracts totaling 55 pages, and countless hours spent on site to ensure all needs were defined and carried out according to the Special Olympics’ needs.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say this event went off without a hitch as there were some 800-pound bumps in the road (called sound booths). Fortunately, these challenges make us stronger as a team and make every event better than the next. It’s not often we get to be part of an event that wholeheartedly promotes inclusion and impacts individuals and communities all over the world. To see the smiles on the athletes’ faces and the cheers at the Unified Cup awards’ ceremony was truly worth every step.”

July 25, 2022 by Schoolcraft College

Teams are composed of athletes with and without intellectual disabilities playing together.

Schoolcraft College will welcome soccer players from around the globe for the Special Olympics Unified Cup 2022 presented by Toyota, a competition that will show the world how the power of sport builds and shapes a diverse community that unites and empowers people of all abilities, from all backgrounds.

The event runs from Sunday, July 31, through Saturday, August 6, with more than 300 athletes from over 20 nations competing. Special Olympics Unified Sports® is a uniquely inclusive organization as teams are composed of athletes with and without intellectual disabilities playing together.

“We’re extremely pleased and proud to welcome the athletes, coaches, support staff, families and friends of the Special Olympics Unified Cup to the campus of Schoolcraft College,” said Dr. Glenn Cerny, President of Schoolcraft College. “Hosting great events like this that bring together a wide spectrum of people while breaking down barriers and creating transformational experiences complements the welcoming and inclusive environment we are working to create for every person every day at Schoolcraft College.”

two opponents run toward soccer ball — Matches in the Special Olympics Unified Cup 2022 presented by Toyota begin Monday, August 1.

The St. Joe’s Sports Dome and the College’s soccer field will host men’s preliminary matches August 1-5. The women’s preliminary matches are also August 1-5 and will be held at The Corner Ballpark in Detroit.

The Unified Cup is expected to draw 10,000 spectators, 1,000 volunteers and 500 family members and dignitaries with the common mission of celebrating the joy of sport and the power of inclusion through camaraderie, competition and breaking down social barriers.

The men’s and women’s Division One finals will be streamed live from Keyworth Stadium—home of the Detroit City Football Club—to hundreds of millions of viewers across the globe by ESPN.

The combination of excellent facilities and a strong, collaborative attitude and expertise among the College’s Recreation, Conference and Events, Facilities, Campus Police, Culinary Operations and other departments made Schoolcraft College a natural site for this global competition.

Health screenings will be provided for the athletes at the St. Joe’s Mercy Elite Sports Center as part of the “Healthy Athletes” program. Hearing and vision screenings as well as strategies for maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle, including nutrition and exercise, will be offered.

Kellie Murphy, Manager of Sports & Wellness for Special Olympics Michigan, said the following will be provided from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, August 3 through Friday, August 5:

The Opening Eyes program will provide vision screenings and free prescription glasses, goggles, or sunglasses
Healthy Hearing provides hearing tests, cerumen removal, and Starkey will be fitting athletes for hearing aids and providing those at no cost to the individual
The FUNfitness program offers physical therapy assessments for balance, flexibility, and functional strength
Health Promotion will educate athletes on healthy lifestyles topics like nutrition and hydration as well as providing bone density testing
The Special Smiles program, the dental initiative, will provide a dental screening, fluoride, mouthguard fitting, and education on proper brushing and flossing

“Individuals are welcome to come check it out; volunteer spots are still available,” Murphy said. “We have clinical volunteer roles (health professionals and health professional students) as well as general volunteer roles that don’t require a healthcare background like data entry and athlete guides.”

Anyone interested in volunteering can register online.

In addition, Culinary Operations is preparing a deli fresh lunch every day, feeding up to 500 athletes, coaches and support staff. The Ocelot Market at the Sports Dome and the Elite Market and Smoothie Bar at the Sports Center will be open to service spectators.

soccer team huddles in circle — The combination of excellent facilities and a strong, collaborative attitude and expertise among the College’s Recreation, Conference and Events, Facilities, Campus Police, Culinary Operations and other departments made Schoolcraft College a natural site for the Special Olympics Unified Cup 2022.

Countries with teams participating in the 2022 Unified Cup include the following:

Women’s teams:

Burkina Faso
Caribbean (Haiti, Aruba, Bahamas)
Costa Rica
Egypt
Guatemala
India
Mexico
Namibia
Slovakia
Sri Lanka
United Arab Emirates
United States

Men’s teams:

Brazil
Jamaica
Japan
Korea
Morocco
Nigeria
Paraguay
Romania
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
United States

April 18, 2022 by Schoolcraft College

Supporting youth sports events brings visitors to campus

Schoolcraft College, recognizing its role to be a positive force in the community and support activities for young people, will open its sports facilities for two exciting events this spring and summer.

First, this weekend, the St. Joe’s Mercy Elite Sports Center (ESC), the St. Joe’s Sports Dome and the main gym in the Physical Education building will be sites of the “Mizuno Motor City Madness” volleyball tournament.

Then later this summer, the St. Joe’s Sports Dome and the College’s soccer field will be host to the “Special Olympics Unified Cup 2022 presented by Toyota” soccer event.

Sports Center front of building — Photo 1

“We are extremely pleased and proud to welcome these hard-working athletes and their dedicated families and friends to our campus to compete in our outstanding sports and recreation facilities,” said Dr. Glenn Cerny, President of Schoolcraft College. “In addition to providing transformative educational opportunities, we also want to be a good neighbor and actively support positive events in Livonia and Metro Detroit.”

Mizuno Motor City Madness will be this Saturday and Sunday, April 23 and 24. More than 500 teams, from ages 12-under to 18-under, from around the country and Canada are expected. The event is presented by Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy, which calls the ESC its home in the western suburbs.

The 75,000-square-foot facility has been a hub of activity for students, community members and youth sports since opening in October 2020. The ESC includes eight volleyball courts; a 1/7-mile track; a practice field for the Michigan Wolves Soccer Club; brand-new classrooms and equipment for Schoolcraft College’s Movement Science program; the MercyElite sports performance and training center; and the Elite Market & Smoothie Bar.

The volleyball courts also can be configured for pickleball, an increasingly popular sport that many community and Fitness Center members play regularly, especially during the winter.

Unified Cup coming this summer

Schoolcraft College will welcome the Special Olympics Unified Cup 2022 presented by Toyota starting Sunday, July 31. A total of 24 teams from around the world, ages 16-21, are expected to compete. This event will show the world how the power of sport builds and shapes a diverse community that unites and empowers people of all abilities, from all backgrounds. Teams include athletes with and without intellectual disabilities playing together.

“We encourage everyone to come to our beautiful campus, learn more about what Schoolcraft College offers and enjoy these great events,” Dr. Cerny said.