Equipped with verve, smiles and bona fide passion, hundreds of New York athletes with intellectual disabilities will go head to head in Special Olympics NY’s State Summer Games this weekend in Ithaca. This year marks Ithaca’s fourth consecutive year of hosting the games.
In a lively two-day event, the games will take place from June 20-21. Approximately 1,200 coaches and athletes will compete in seven sports — basketball, bowling, powerlifting, swimming, track & field, tennis and volleyball.
The State Summer Games are transformative for the athletes, who have trained hard for the games, said Casey Vattimo, senior vice president for external relations at Special Olympics NY. She added that they light up at the supportive community that gathers to cheer them on.
“Our athletes look forward to this event all year long,” Vattimo said. “This is their big day. This is the highlight of their year.”
What to Expect
On Friday, opening ceremonies will be held at Ithaca College’s Athletics and Events Center from 7-8 p.m. The sporting events will begin on Saturday.
From 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, athletes will take to fields, courts and lanes to compete in seven sporting events. The community can view the full schedule of events online.
“Joyful” energy takes over while the athletes show off on the fields, Vattimo said.
“Whether our athletes are winning or are not … they are having a blast, and their energy is contagious — their joy is contagious,” Vattimo said. “It's impossible not to have fun when you're around them.”
After attending the Summer Games, Vattimo hopes that the community is left changed by the athletes’ diversity, disability and joy.
“We hope when people attend the State Games, they have enjoyed themselves, that they have enjoyed the day, that they have learned more about our athletes and not only their disabilities, but their abilities,” Vattimo said. “It's inclusion in its highest form, and we hope that that is a feeling that stays with them.”
Volunteers Needed
The event has not yet met their goal for volunteers, who play a crucial role in the Summer Games’ success — Vattimo urges the community to register as volunteers in order “to make sure the athletes have the best State Summer Games yet.”
Volunteers will be trained on-site and no prior experience is needed. The games most need people to volunteer at the Saturday sporting events.
Registration to be a volunteer can be completed online.
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.
