Special Olympics Connecticut Unified Sports Youth Summit

January 11, 2013 - Over 300 high school and middle school students from across Connecticut attended the Special Olympics Unified Sports® Youth Leadership Summit on Tuesday, January 8th at Wesleyan University. The Youth Leadership Summit is run by students from across the state along with representatives from Special Olympics Connecticut and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC). 

At the Youth Leadership Summit, students shared their experiences, ideas and practices to help the Unified Sports® program continue to grow. 

A.J. Pollock, who grew up in Connecticut and now plays baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks, was the keynote speaker. He talked about his personal experience as a Unified Partner and the friendship he had with Special Olympics Athlete Tyler Cormier. NBC Connecticut Sports Anchor Kevin Nathan also was a speaker at the event.

About Special Olympics Unified Sports® Program - The Special Olympics Connecticut Unified Sports® Program brings athletes with and without intellectual disabilities together to play sports, gain physical fitness, develop friendships and demonstrate appreciation and respect for each other both on and off the playing field. Unified Sports® is currently offered in over 170 schools across the state through Special Olympics' partnership with the Connecticut Association of Schools and Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CAS/CIAC).

The Unified Sports® experience teaches good sportsmanship and good citizenship to elementary-, middle- and high-school students. Additionally, Unified Sports® is offered as a community-based Program for participants of all ages, where it employs sports to change people's misconceptions about individuals with intellectual disabilities and ensure those with disabilities have the same opportunities afforded to all other members of society.

Year-round sponsors of the Special Olympics Connecticut-CAS/CIAC Unified Sports® Program include Team ESPN, Bob's Stores, Campus Customs, Hoffman Auto Group and ConnectiCare. To find out more about Unified Sports®, go to http://www.casciac.org or www.soct.org, or call 203-250-1111.

 

About Special Olympics Connecticut - Special Olympics Connecticut provides year-round sports training and competitions for more than 13,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities and Unified Partners (their teammates without disabilities). Through a myriad of initiatives throughout the state and the world, Special Olympics is a movement that's changing attitudes and changing lives by inspiring inclusion, understanding and respect for people of all abilities, in all aspects of life. (www.soct.org)

Partner Sponsors: Adams Hometown Markets/IGA Hometown Supermarkets, Connecticut Light & Power/Yankee Gas/ Western Massachusetts Electric (Northeast Utilities Companies), Law Enforcement Torch Run, NBC Connecticut, TD Bank, and United Technologies. Year-Round Suppliers: Adams Hometown Markets/IGA Hometown Supermarkets, The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New England, Crystal Rock Water and Coffee Company, Graebel Van Lines, Guida's Milk and Ice Cream, Marcus Communications, State of Connecticut Judicial Branch Community Service and Worx Branding & Advertising. To find out more, visit soct.org, call 203-230-1201 or email specialolympicsct@soct.org. And, follow Special Olympics Connecticut on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo 1, left to right: Kyle Sterling, Special Olympics Athlete and A.J. Pollock of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Photo 2: Students gather at the Special Olympics Unified Sports® Youth Leadership Summit to encourage inclusion for people of all abilities.