Sweat, smiles and passion filled Ithaca this weekend as New York athletes with intellectual disabilities reconnected with old friends, savored the roar of the crowds at Ithaca College and Cornell and competed in Special Olympics NY’s State Summer Games.
From Ithaca College’s athletics center to Cornell’s indoor track, the athletes took to the courts to compete in basketball, bowling, powerlifting, swimming, track & field, tennis and volleyball — showing off the skills they had been honing for months.
Some athletes shared their stories with The Sun.
Ryan Ruvola, Powerlifting
Ryan Ruvola flexes with his medals after lifting over 400 pounds in the powerlifting competition.
With “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift as his go-to powerlifting tune, Ryan Ruvola trains hard. This year, he took on the State Summer Games for the fourth time, bringing with him unbridled positivity and passion from Vestal, New York.
Powerlifting has fueled Ruvola for the past three and a half years, and he said that he has grown a “powerlifting family” through the sport. Speaking about his found family brought a wide smile to Ruvola’s face, and he jumped at the chance to list off his teammates’ names and share more about his friends.
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Paul "DJ Pauly D" DelVecchio, two fitness influencers, are Ruvola’s role models, and he said he wants to be just like them. However, at the end of the day, Ruvola said he “does it all for Taylor Swift.”
As a passionate Swiftie and dedicated powerlifter, Ruvola jams out and lifts heavy. This weekend, he said he lifted 408 pounds “without any struggle” and won four medals.
“I feel really good,” Ruvola said after his competition. “I thought I did the best I ever did.”
Wally Gee, Basketball
Wally Gee stands beside his coach, Ben Hathaway. The duo has known each other since Hathaway was young.
Over four decades have passed since veteran athlete Wally Gee started his journey in the Special Olympics at eight years old. This year, he competed in basketball on the Genesee Rockets team and traveled from Perry, New York.
Team building and family mark Gee’s favorite parts of playing basketball. His happiness centers around the community that is built through the sport, especially through the connection he shares with his coach, Ben Hathaway.
Hathaway and Gee have known each other for 30 years. The duo met when a young Hathaway volunteered as a Special Olympics coach, and Gee played on his team. Over the years, they formed a friendship, and Gee became a central part of the basketball scene at the Special Olympics.
“He’s our leader, captain and pumps everyone up,” Hathaway said. “He is one of the friendliest guys you’ll ever meet.”
This weekend, Gee could not stop smiling. He said the competition was “fun” and the “good sportsmanship” shown on the courts was important to him.
Shaking everyone’s hands at the end of a game is always Gee’s favorite moment on the court. He said he returns to the games every year to “make new friends,” “go for the gold” and to simply “play basketball.”
Penny Rigdon, Swimming
Penny Rigdon stands proudly in front of the pool she competed in earlier in the day.
A banana split — Penny Rigdon’s favorite treat — awaited her as she stepped out of the pool in Ithaca College’s athletics center this weekend.
This was Rigdon’s third year participating in the Special Olympics, and she took home first place in the 4x25m freestyle relay. She said that although the medals give her a boost, her friends and her love for the sport are really what make her happy at the games.
“Swimming is really great, and I compete with my best friends,” Rigdon said with a smile.
Only a junior at Lansing High School, Rigdon is among the younger crowd at the age-inclusive State Summer Games. That did not stop her from showing out and giving it her all. She said swimming at the games this weekend made her feel empowered.
“I feel confident and brave, and I just swim and go for it,” Rigdon said.
Joey Collins and Daniel Fletcher, Powerlifting
Joey Collins (left) and Daniel Fletcher (right) hug after receiving their medals for powerlifting.
Buddies, roommates and powerlifting peers Joey “The Beast” Collins and Daniel “Mr. USA” Fletcher met at their Long Island training gym eight years ago. Now they say they love each other like brothers.
Fletcher has been competing at the Special Olympics for 27 years, while Collins has competed for eight years. The pair train “a whole lot,” Fletcher said, and they are full of ambition.
“I want to be Athlete of the Year and I want to be a World Games champion,” Fletcher said.
“I work hard, I grind, I’m going to be a wrestler,” Collins said.
Crowd support is what makes the games for Collins and Fletcher. They said that the booming applause and cheers from the audience create a fun and enthusiastic atmosphere for them to be a part of.
“The energy here is palpable,” Collins said. “This is the greatest moments I’ve had in my life.”
“The Special Olympics is a dream come true,” Fletcher added.
Together after accepting their medals, Collins and Fletcher confidently recited the Special Olympics motto to each other.
"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt," they said together.
Jacob Babcock, Basketball
Jacob Babcock smiles beside Officer Shaun Cuddeback. Babcock’s coach photobombs the duo from the back.
John Babcock’s two-hour journey from Rochester to Ithaca this weekend was nothing compared to his journey to Italy for the last leg of the Special Olympics World Games Turin earlier this year.
In Italy, Babcock participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run, a fundraiser led by law enforcement for the Special Olympics, which he said was “such an amazing journey.” Through the LETR program, he met Officer Shaun Cuddeback, who quickly became his friend.
Cuddeback said Jacob is a prime example of what the games can do for people with intellectual disabilities. The athletes, coaches and audiences in the Special Olympics support each other more than any other communities Cuddeback has ever seen. He said the environment leaves the athletes changed for the better.
“When Jacob started about eight or nine years ago, he was really quiet,” Cuddeback said. “He was not a guy who came out and did stuff like this. … Now, you can’t shut Jacob up.”
This year, as a basketball player in the State Summer Games, Babcock said he appreciated the spirit of friendship and passion among the athletes on the court.
Growing up, Babcock faced adversity in the sports world, but now, as a part of the Special Olympics, he said the games have allowed him to be a part of the sports community.
“When I was in high school, I just sat there and watched people play,” Babcock said. “The Special Olympics gave me the opportunity to not just watch, but to actually play the game.”
Varsha Bhargava is a reporter at the Ithaca Times and a news editor at The Cornell Daily Sun working on The Sun’s summer fellowship. This article was originally published in the Ithaca Times.
Varsha Bhargava is a news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board and a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at vbhargava@cornellsun.com.
