Category Archives: Olympics

Notre Dame senior Dylan Jacobs was coming down the stretch in the 10,000-meter run of the NCAA Track and Field Championships on June 8 in Eugene, Oregon.

Jacobs passed the leader en route to a final lap of 55.45 seconds. The Sandburg graduate would become the first runner from Illinois to earn a national title in that event.

John OMalley, Jacobs coach in cross country and track distance at Sandburg, usually tries to stay on an emotional even keel but that went right out the window.

I was screaming at the TV so much so that my wife (Heather) actually picked up the phone to record me, OMalley said. With 1,200 meters to go, I felt like he was going to win.

I can always tell when Dylan is feeling good, and he was locked in.

But there were two things OMalley and a lot of other people didnt know.

Jacobs fell at the 3,000-meter mark. He had battle to get back to the pack. His fall wasnt shown on TV.

Then, Jacobs ran the rest of the race on a sprained ankle that was swelling with every step he ran.

He still won with a time of 28:12.32, including a 1:57.63 in the final 800 meters.

Adrenaline is a crazy thing, Jacobs said. I didnt really feel it.

He said he cant remember ever falling in a race before, blaming himself for the mishap.

I stepped on the rail, he said. It was definitely all on my own and its part of the reason I said, You better get back up. It was all on me.

I was on the inside of Lane 1 and looking up, and I snuck a little too far on the turn.

Notre Dame's Dylan Jacobs, a Sandburg graduate, reacts after winning the 10,000-meter run during the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene Oregon on Wednesday, June 08, 2022. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

Already impressed with Jacobs finish, OMalley was floored when he heard the rest of the story.

I did not know about the fall until his postrace interview, OMalley said. I talked with him on FaceTime the next morning, and he showed me his swollen ankle that was wrapped up.

It makes it that much more amazing. He said the pack wasnt running very fast at that point, so it wasnt as challenging to reconnect, but there is an undeniable loss of energy, momentum and emotional drain from such a challenge.

Staying calm was key for Jacobs, whos the first Notre Dame runner since Ryan Shay in 2001 to win the 10,000-meter race.

I just focused on staying as relaxed for as long as possible, Jacobs said. It just happened, so you know, get back up and get to the back of the pack and just be ready for any moves that are going to be made.

I was pretty relaxed before. I figured if I was in the back of the pack or the middle of the pack, it was no big deal. You just try to stay calm and stay relaxed and everything will go well.

So many things have gone well for Jacobs in 2022.

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He broke a four-minute mile in January and set an American college standard for the indoor 5,000 meters in February with a 13:14.04.

Jacobs future is intriguing. He graduated from Notre Dame but still has a year of college eligibility left and has entered the transfer portal.

If he doesnt use up another year in college to try for another national title, Jacobs could turn pro and shoot for the 2024 Olympics.

OMalley said the NCAA champion in the 10,000 meters is usually a contender for an Olympic spot.

Its a goal, Jacobs said of the Olympics. After this race, its become realistic. There would still be a lot of training and work to be done before that.

Im not too focused on that right now, but its in the back of my mind.

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

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Sandburg graduate Dylan Jacobs, who wins the 10000 meters for Notre Dame, enters transfer portal. And the Olympics? 'It's a goal.' - Chicago Tribune

Special Olympics Maryland holds summer games in Towson

Updated: 11:04 AM EDT Jun 21, 2022

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COULD SEE SOME SHOWERS AND STORMS RETURN BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. JENNIFER: THANKS, TAYLOR. SPECIAL OLYMPIC ATHLETES FROM ACROSS MARYLAND ARE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY THIS WEEKEND TAKING PART IN THE SUMMER GAMES. JOINING US LIVE THIS MORNING FROM TOWSON UNIVERSITY IS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS MARYLAND, JIM SCHMUTZ. GREAT TO SEE YOU. YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE PHENOMENAL WEATHER. >> ITS REALLY COOL TO LISTEN TO THAT WEATHER. ITS UNBELIEVABLE THE DIFFERENCE FROM YESTERDAY TO TODAY. WE HAD OUR OPENING CEREMONY LAST NIGHT, SO MUCH ENERGY AND ITS COMING BACK HERE ON THE TRACK THIS MORNING. WEVE GOT HOWARD COUNTY ATHLETES GETTING READY FOR THE 3000 METER TO KICK US OFF. WE ARE PUMPED TO BE BACK IN TOWSON. JENNIFER: YOU HAVE TWO DAYS FILLED WITH EVENTS. YOU DID THE CHILLING COMPETITION -- CHEERLEADING COMPETITION LAST NIGHT AS WELL. HOW CAN PEOPLE GET INVOLVED? >> THEY CAN COME OUT TODAY AND JUST WATCH. . IF THEY VOLUNTEER, THEY CAN MARKUP. IF THEY WANT TO COME OUT AND VOLUNTEER TOMORROW, THEY CAN WALK UP. ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY. COME OUT TO THE TRACK. WEVE GOT BOCCE, SWIMMING INSIDE, SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT AT ELLICOTT CITY AT AEROTECH PARK. THEYVE GOT VOLUNTEERS DOWN THERE. ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY. COME CHECK OUT OUR ATHLETES. THE BOCCE COMPETITION IS REALLY COOL. JENNIFER: IT MEANS SO MUCH FOR THE ATHLETES TO HAVE PEOPLE COME OUT AND CHEER THEM ON. IT REALLY PUMPS THEM UP. >> THE ENERGY, THE ATHLETES BRING SO MUCH ENERGY. WE TALK ABOUT IT, AS MUCH AS THE MISSION IS FOR THE ATHLETES, WHEN PEOPLE INTERACT WITH OUR ATHLETES, THEIR LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED. JUST TO, AND WATCH THESE ATHLETES, AND LOOK, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE ARE FULLY BACK, THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019. I AM TELLING YOU, THE ATHLETES AND COACHES AND FAMILY MEMBERS ARE SO EXCITED TO BE OUT HERE, AND SO I MIGHT. FIRST GUN IS UP AT 9:00 THIS MORNING. THE OTHER THING WEVE GOT IS HEALTHY ATHLETES STARTING THIS MORNING AT 10:00. WEVE GOT DISCIPLINES LIKE SPECIAL SMILES, VISION SCREENINGS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE TOWSON UNION CENTER. AND AGAIN, A HEALTHY ATHLETE IS A BETTER ATHLETE. JENNIFER: BOY, YOURE NOT KIDDING. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO BUSY. YOU HAVE THIS MAJOR TRIP. SOME. TELL US WHERE THE ATHLETES WENT TO. >> WE HAD A DELEGATION OF ABOUT 100 ATHLETES, COACHES AND VOLUNTEERS DOWN IN ORLANDO FROM JUNE 5 TO THE 11TH COMPETING IN THE USA GAMES. THEY HAD AN UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCE. IN ADDITION TO WINNING A LOT OF MEDEALS, THEY JUST HAD THE MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE. REPRESENTING SPECIAL OLYMPICS MARYLAND IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND EXCEPTIONALLY WELL. JENNIFER: LETS JUST REMIND PEOPLE THIS IS WHY YOU PLUNGE, THIS IS WHY YOU DONATE IN JANUARY, IN THIS CASE, IN MARCH, SO YOU CAN HOST GAMES JUST LIKE THIS. >> 100%. ATHLETES TRAIN YEAR-ROUND IN 27 DIFFERENT SPORTS FREE OF CHARGE. WHEN WE GO IN THAT COLD WATER IN JANUARY, IT SETS US UP FOR THE SPRING. AS SOON AS WE COME OUT OF THESE SUMMER GAMES, WEVE GOT ATHLETES GOING TO COMPETE IN KAYAKING, GOLF AND INTO OUR FALL SEASON, SOCCER, FLAG FOOTBALL, CYCLING, POWERLIFTING ANTENNAS. ATHLETES LOVE THE SPORTS AND THEY ARE EXCITED TO BE BACK IN ACTION. JENNIFER: TELL ALL MY FRIENDS ARE SET HI, WILL YOU? >>

Special Olympics Maryland holds summer games in Towson

Updated: 11:04 AM EDT Jun 21, 2022

Special Olympic athletes from across Maryland are in Baltimore County this weekend taking part in the summer games. Joining us from Towson University is president and CEO of Special Olympics Maryland, Jim Schmutz.

Special Olympic athletes from across Maryland are in Baltimore County this weekend taking part in the summer games. Joining us from Towson University is president and CEO of Special Olympics Maryland, Jim Schmutz.

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Special Olympics Maryland holds summer games in Towson - WBAL TV Baltimore

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The winners of the 2022 Bea Victor Senior Olympics have been announced.

The event, organized by the Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island in Sea View, began Monday, June 13, and ended Thursday, June 16.

The Olympics, which is for people age 50 or older, was held in person once again for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions went into effect

Below are the winners for each of the sports categories:

TABLE TENNIS

- 1st Place Gold: Mona Barroso

- 2nd Place Silver: Helen Settles

- 3rd Place Bronze: Helen Settles

HORSESHOES WOMEN

- 1st Place Gold: Patricia Guastavine

- 2nd Place Silver: Elaine Callari

- 3rd Place Bronze: Christina Cancelleri

HORSESHOES MEN

- 1st Place Gold: Ed Leavy

- 2nd Place Silver: Bob Kurpiel

- 3rd Place Bronze: Charles Callari

SHUFFLEBOARD

- 1st Place Gold: Bob Kurpiel

- 2nd Place Silver: Joni Rockford

- 3rd Place Bronze: Ed Leavy

CORNHOLE

- 2nd Place Silver: Bob Kurpiel and Charles Callari

BASKETBALL SHOOT MENS

- 1st Place Gold: Ed Leavy

- 2nd Place Silver: Charles Callari

- 3rd Place Bronze: Bob Kurpiel

BASKETBALL SHOOT WOMEN

- 1st Place Gold: Madeline Zuckerbrow

- 2nd Place Silver: Maryann Dennehy

-3rd Place Bronze: Peggy Gabrielline

TENNIS

- 1st Place Gold: Irene Tsatsaris

- 2nd Place Silver: Elise Feldman and Vicky Roitman

- 3rd Place Bronze: Steve Long and Due Bebentoth

POCKET POOL

- 1st Place Gold: Joe Ficara

- 2nd Place Silver: Raymond Niranda

- 3rd Place Bronze: Charles Callari

DARTS MEN

- 1st Place Gold: Bob Kurpiel

- 2nd Place Silver: John Caban

- 3rd Place Bronze: Charlie Callari

DARTS WOMEN

- 1st Place Gold: Joanie Rochfum

- 2nd Place Silver: Denise Kelly

- 3rd Place Bronze: Elaine Callari

MAHJONG

- 1st Place Gold: Meryl Levy

- 2nd Place Silver: Deb Burko

- 3rd Place Bronze: Sue Rubin

CANASTA

- 1st Place Gold: Shelly Berman and Roseanne Eisenberg

- 2nd Place Silver: Diamona Romano and Elaine Schiesinger Avedon

- 3rd Place Bronze: Sandy Eisreicher Abbort

CROQUET

- 1st Place Gold: Bob Kurpiel

- 2nd Place Silver: Ed Leavy

- 3rd Place Bronze: Pat Bramwell

PINOCHLE

- 1st Place Gold: Carlo Rizzo, Ronald Guy, Tom Chin, Sal Marchesano

- 2nd Place Silver: Judy Albanese, Lynn Guzzo

- 3rd Place Bronze: Joyce Pafafio, Joseph Pergolizzi, Ron Mazzola

BOWLING

Age group 60-64:

- 1st: Jane LoPresti

- 2nd: Margie Costello

- 3rd: Concetta Tesoriero

Age group 65-69:

- 1st: John Caban and Mona Schiebal

- 2nd: Pat Gustavino

Age group 70-74:

- 1st: Charles Callari and Maddy Zuckerbrow

- 2nd: Raymond Miranda and Angela Catalli

- 3rd: Carlos Nieves and Alexis Boyd

Age group 75-79:

- 1st: Dotty Bellantoni

- 2nd: Marilyn Hall

- 3rd: Pat Lacewell

Age group 80-84:

- 1st: Fred Maldonado

Age group 85-89:

- 1st: Vincent DiOrio and Catherine Brennan

Continued here:

Winners of Bea Victor Senior Olympics announced - SILive.com

LAKE PLACID The state Olympic Regional Development Authority has scheduled a series of activities on Thursday to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games and the establishment of the International Olympic Committee.

The activities include the Lake Placid Figure Skating Championships, a presentation from a Team USA leader for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, an Olympian meet and greet, a 1980s Olympics exhibit, a showing of the movie Miracle and an Olympic and Paralympic Day Run/Walk/Wheel.

For more information, visit http://www.lakeplacidlegacysites.com/event/olympicday.

Schedule of events

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lake Placid Figure Skating Championships at the Olympic Center. Spectators can watch figure skaters compete at the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena and the 1932 Jack Shea Arena. Tickets are sold at the door.

1 p.m. Big Dreams presentation by Kathaleen Cutone at the Conference Center. Cutone was a Team USA leader for the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, a national collegiate figure skating champion and a Winter World University Games athlete.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Heirlooms from the 1980 Olympics exhibit will be on display on the second level of the Conference Center in Lake Placid.

3 to 4 p.m. Olympian meet and greet at Mount Van Hoevenberg. Participants can talk with Olympic athletes and learn about sports disciplines. The event will be an opportunity for youth to explore and discover programs with organizations and clubs on site.

4 to 5 p.m. Olympic and Paralympic Day Run/Walk/Wheel at Mount Van Hoevenberg. Participants can choose between 2K and 5K distances. Those interested can sign up online. All ages, levels and abilities are able to participate. The first 100 participants to register will receive a free Olympic Day t-shirt and Olympic Day water bottles.

6:30 p.m. Showing of the movie, Miracle, at the Palace Theatre on Main Street in Lake Placid. The screening will be free of charge, guests will receive a Team USA wristband.

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Olympic, Paralympic Day events planned this week | News, Sports, Jobs - The Adirondack Daily Enterprise

NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters) - Half a century since passage of the landmark U.S. Title IX law, Olympians and trailblazers say the legislation profoundly transformed global sport for women.

The law passed June 23, 1972, requires U.S. education programs that receive federal funding to provide equal opportunities for participation - including for all sports.

Girls' high school sports participation has increased more than 1,000% since, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Collegiate sport participation jumped more than 500%, according to the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF).

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What followed was an explosion in women's Olympic participation.

"The impact of Title IX on Team USA is profound, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Chief Executive Sarah Hirshland told Reuters.

Female participation in Team USA's Summer Olympic rosters jumped 310% since Title IX, while their Winter Games rosters saw a 300% boost.

"We've witnessed a remarkable progression over time of U.S. women representing bigger percentages of our Olympic delegations, and of the team's overall medal success, Hirshland said. "That's great for Team USA, and great for women's sport broadly."

The number of female events at the Summer Games doubled from 43 in 1972 to 86 in 1992, according to the USOPC, with the Winter Games seeing an increase from 12 events to 23 in the same time period.

"That changed the landscape for women not only in the United States but around the world, because the world was watching what the United States was doing," pioneering marathon runner Katherine Switzer said in an interview ahead of the New York Road Runners Mini 10K race.

Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a registered competitor, after challenging a ban on female runners and competing under her initials in 1967. She also lobbied for inclusion of a women's marathon in the Olympics ahead of its 1984 debut.

"There was now a generation of little girls who were growing up and realizing that they were entitled to an opportunity and they took that opportunity," said Switzer. "So then they could set their sights on the Olympics."

Women accounted for nearly half the athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics - 48.7% - an increase from 45% at the Rio Summer Games, according to the WSF. It projected a "strong likelihood" of equal female participation in 2024. read more

Still, work remains to be done to achieve a truly level playing field. The progress has been felt disproportionately, with students from marginalized backgrounds gaining fewer advantages.

A WSF report last month found that girls at predominantly white high schools typically see 82% of the athletic opportunities that boys do. That falls to 67% in schools where students of color are the majority.

"There needs to be work in helping and supporting our disabled athletes and giving more opportunities, obviously, to our BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) community as well," WSF CEO Danette Leighton said.

This month, the WSF partnered with the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) and the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative to launch "Demand IX," a campaign for stronger Title IX protections.

The law was originally aimed at equalizing academic disparities.

"Title IX was not initially about sports, but sports really quickly becomes a flash point," Laura Mogulescu, curator of women's history collections at the New-York Historical Society, told Reuters.

Its inception overlapped with critical movements in women's sport including in tennis, when nine of its top women, led by King, began their own professional tour after seeing prize money disproportionately allocated for male competitors.

"The 'Battle of the Sexes' is in 1973 and just a couple of months after that, (Billie Jean King) testifies in Congress in support of the Women's Educational Equity Act, which helps fund programs that implement Title IX at schools," said Mogulescu, who co-curated a "Title IX: Activism On and Off the Field" exhibit.

King defeated former men's world No. 1 Bobby Riggs in a hugely high profile exhibition match dubbed "The Battle of the Sexes", widely seen as giving a major boost to women's sports.

For 2004 bronze medal winner and former U.S. women's marathon record-holder Deena Kastor, Title IX meant she did not "know of missed opportunities."

"When I was 11 years old, I was sitting in the living room of my parents house watching Joan Benoit Samuelson come in and win the first ever Olympic medal in the (1984) women's marathon," she said.

"I don't think I knew the significance of it at the time sitting there as a young girl. But I could feel the importance of it."

(This story has been refiled to correct spelling of Mogulescu's name in paragraphs 18, 20)

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Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Fifty years since Title IX, the world of women's sports is transformed - Reuters

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Circleville wins the Ag Olympics during kids night at the fair - Circleville Herald

Mack Hollins just wanted to get close to the star athletes.

The new Raiders receiver attended the Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando two weeks ago and went to dinner with several athletes who won medals.

It might have been an even bigger deal to Hollins than it was to the athletes. Hollins has been volunteering with the Special Olympics for five years and has worked his way up to being a champion ambassador for the organization.

I get more access to the athletes, Hollins said last week in a telephone interview. The athletes are what has always drawn me to it. Just the way that they really attack anything in life and how genuine they are. They have no ulterior motive, they are just there playing sports that they love, and they are going to treat you like you treat them.

They dont need anything out of me. They think its cool that I play for the Raiders, but they could care less, at the end of the day. Theyre just happy to have another supporter watching them.

Hollins reached the NFL despite not having any Division I offers coming out of high school, but the obstacles he overcame pale in comparison to those of many of his lifelong friends.

People put them down, people tell them they cant do something and they still persevere and they continue to be able to be great that is so great for me to see as an athlete, Hollins said. I realized that I had a pretty easy road. Nobody told me I couldnt do it the way that these athletes were told their whole lives, and yet, here they are competing for Olympic gold.

Terrence Thornton, the executive director of Special Olympics Nevada, said Hollins involvement is really important to the athletes.

We focus on inclusion, and we work really hard to get peers that love sports that want to engage with our athletes, Thornton said. Pro athletes like Mack participating in sports with them fosters that spirit of inclusion, and helps them be at their greatest. Theyre inspired to work hard and have discipline to meet their personal goals when it comes to their sport. Its very special to them.

Hollins and Raiders punter AJ Cole also participated in a send-off at Caesars Palace for Nevada athletes before the USA Games, and the Raiders are one of the signature sponsors for the Special Olympics fall flag football season.

As a champion ambassador, Hollins not only gives his time and serves as a role model, but helps promote awareness of the Special Olympics and their inclusion programs.

These are people with intellectual disabilities, but when it comes to sports, they definitely have ability, and professional athletes like Mack help spread that message of inclusion, Thornton said.

Hollins, 28, grew up in Rockville, Md., and first learned about the Special Olympics because he had a neighbor who competed.

And then I got to college, and one of my close teammates had a brother who competed who had intellectual disabilities, so I got a little bit closer and started doing a little bit more, Hollins said.

Hollins was drafted by the Eagles in the fourth round in 2017, and won a Super Bowl ring as a special teams player as a rookie before sustaining a groin injury in 2018 and being waived in December 2019. He was claimed by the Dolphins, and thats when his career and his involvement with the Special Olympics really took off.

I started speaking for Special Olympics at radio row at the Super Bowl, Hollins said. Then I became an ambassador, and this past year I became a champion ambassador. We had a Zoom call over COVID on Capitol Hill to try and raise funds, went to schools and different things like that. My role has grown, but my passion has always been there.

Hollins is also very excited for a new start with the Raiders. After having a combined 30 catches for 399 yards and five touchdowns with the Dolphins the last two years, the 6-foot-4, 221 pounder may match those numbers. It seems there is a good chance he will be the Raiders No. 4 target behind receivers Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller.

Yeah, Im super excited, Hollins said when he signed. Going into my sixth year, its always exciting to be able to play football, but its a little different coming here because I think I can really get an opportunity to excel here.

Raiders fans will remember Hollins from a loss to the Dolphins in Week 16 of 2020 that cost them a possible playoff spot. Miami quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, while having his facemask grabbed and ripped back by Arden Key, completed a 34-yard, no-look pass to Hollins with 12 seconds remaining. The completion and 15-yard penalty set up a last-second score and 26-25 win for the Dolphins.

I figure its only right I come back and try to do a few more of those plays in Silver and Black, Hollins said.

Hollins is confident that Raiders coach Josh McDaniels will bring out the best in him, and he loves how players move around in this offense.

You see (Hunter) Renfrow out wide, you see him in the slot. Its not really one dimensional, Hollins said after he signed. And I think thats big for me because I think I can be more than an outside guy. I think in the NFL, a lot of times you get put in the box. If youre over 6-3, then youre an outside guy. If youre under 6-2, then youre an inside guy, and if youre in the gap in between, youre just kind of, I dont know, are you fast enough to run by guys or not?

Hollins feels he will be able to earn a bigger role than he has had in the past. Where on the field that will be should be determined in training camp next month.

Thats encouraging to go out there and play your heart out and theyll make the puzzle pieces fit, he said.

Hollins led the nation in yards per catch (24.8) as a junior at North Carolina. He said he has worked hard so that his route running is on par with his ability to stretch the field.

I can go in the slot, and I can beat defenders one-on-one, he said.

He has always been a hard worker with a serious approach to the game, dating back to his senior year at Wootton High School. Hollins came to school wearing a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase that year.

You dress for the job you want, Hollins told Capital News Service back then, not the job you have.

He spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy before walking on at North Carolina.

Never getting comfortable with where you are, never thinking youve arrived, Hollins said. And thats the message of the NFL once you think youve arrived, thats when they ship you out. So, just continuing to put in work, continuing to act like its 2017 and Im a rookie coming out of North Carolina. And thats how Ill continue to elevate my game and continue to make plays when called upon.

Just like the Special Olympics athletes who Hollins cheers on.

Being able to play sports with them is always a blast, Hollins said. People discredit the abilities of people who are intellectually disabled. They just think that they cant do half the stuff that people say normal people can do, but they do everything maybe a little bit slower or in a different way, but they got sass and they got jokes and they can do everything.

Everybody has a little niche that they are great at The Special Olympics has helped me take away the excuses. These athletes are performing at an extremely high level, and here I am at practice, ready to make an excuse as to why I cant do something, and I remember that there are people pushing through way harder things with way more people doubting them.

(Top photo courtesy of Special Olympics Nevada)

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Mack Hollins Special start to his Raiders career, and why hes excited about the offense - The Athletic

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 18: University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas and Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines react after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18th, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta Georgia. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A four-time Summer Olympics gold medalist has responded to FINA's decision on transgender athletes.

This weekend, swimming's governing body ruled on transgender athletes. The decision came down, saying athletes who transition after the age of 12 will be unable to compete in their respective divisions.

Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, who transitioned and joined the women's team, will likely be impacted by the decision. Thomas, who won a national championship at Penn, was hoping to continue her swimming career and compete for an Olympics spot.

Australian swimming starCate Campbell reacted to FINA's decision.

"We see you, value you and accept you. My role; however, is also to stand up here, having asked our world governing body, FINA, to investigate, deliberate and uphold the cornerstone of fairness in elite womens competition," she said, via The Guardian. "And it pains me that this part of my role, may injure, infuriate and potentially alienate people from an already-marginalized trans community."

Campbell continued.

"However, I am asking everyone to take a breath, to absorb before reacting. Listen to the science and experts. Listen to the people who stand up here and tell you how difficult it has been to reconcile inclusion and fairness," she added. "That men and women are physiologically different cannot be disputed. We are only now beginning to explore and understand the origins of these physiological differences and the lasting effects of exposure to differing hormones.

"Women, who have fought long and hard to be included and seen as equals in sport, can only do so because of the gender category distinction. To remove that distinction would be to the detriment of female athletes everywhere."

FINA's new policy is being referred to as a "gender inclusion policy."

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Look: Olympics Star Reacts To Decision On Transgender Athletes - The Spun

Wherever Rosemary Parisi goes in Mount Olive, she meets people who know her daughter, Gabriella.

GiGi, who has Down syndrome,was a year-round, general-education athlete at Mount Olive High School and Homecoming queen. She even appeared on a Times Square billboard, sponsored by the National Down Syndrome Society.

Sports have been key to GiGi's popularity, surprising even Rosemary, a special education teacher at MacKinnon Middle School in Wharton.

GiGi was part of the Mount Olive field hockey, basketball and softball teams alongside her neurotypical peers. She also participates with Mount Olive's Special Olympics Unified track and field program, which blends students with intellectual disabilities and neurotypical partners.

Unifiedclubs, teams and events often require lower time commitments than their general-education equivalents. But there are few limitations on what can be called Unified, or how inclusivethose programs should be.

David May of Morristown thinks Unified is more restrictive than promised by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The ADAprohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. The relatedIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act makes free appropriate public education available to more than 7.5 million eligible children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment and ensures special education and related services.

May would prefer students with special needs to compete alongside gen-ed athletes on a single team.But Unified does not allow in-season varsity athletes to be team partners, so their background and experience with activities vary.

"All Unified has done is make it the most restrictive environment in the entire place," May said. "Some parents are just happy their kids are active, and don't have the nuance of what it means to be separated onto the Unified team and not connected to the other (gen-ed) team. ... It did give kids opportunities to play sports, but it is notthe least restrictive environment."

Autism never prevented Ryan May from being part of the Morristown swim team, which has included several swimmers with physical and intellectual disabilities over the years. David May packed breakfast and drove Ryan to 6 a.m. practice nearly every school day for six years.

Ryan participated in about half the meets during his high school career, wearing thesame burgundy suit and bright orange cap as everyone else on the roster.Between events, he usually cheeredon teammates from the end of the bleachers closest to the starting blocks. Ryan, who turns 24 in July, didn'ttalk much, but usually smiled and gave two thumbs up.

"What I tell parents who first get diagnosed, whether it's Down syndrome or autism or something else, 'You'll always be their parent. What you have to become is a crazed advocate,'" said May, co-foundedKids2Kids, a Morristown nonprofit that mentors children with special needs through activities led by neurotypical peers.

"If you have a special-needs kid, you realize very early on how isolated you are. They do not get invited to anything: birthday parties, events. ... It's so painful to not have these kids be involved in anything."

Special Olympics USA Games: West Milford runner goes viral on social media with last-second win

'Coolest part of sports': Players relish chance to represent Rutgers football at Special Olympics event

Great debut: Historic Unified swim meet brings community together

Trying to provide opportunities to a larger population of student-athletes, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association announced a partnershipwith Special Olympics New Jersey at the Meet of Champions in June 2016. At the time, there were about 60 Unified Champion Schools, promotingacceptance, respect, and dignity for all students.

There are more than 250 in New Jersey now, and SONJ COO Bill DePonte hopes to have at least300 in the fall.

"Inclusion has been around a long time, and it means different things to different people," DePonte said. "For us, it's about engaging individuals of all abilities."

Champion Schools are supported through funding from the United States and New Jersey Department of Education, though DePonte said they're encouraged to become self-sufficient. SONJ grants support things like coachand club-advisor stipends, uniforms, travel, officials, and technology.

The NJSIAA currently sponsors Unified basketball and bowling in the winter, and spring track and field.Unified swimming will be added to the list this winter, with a mixed relay expected to be held duringthe NJSIAA Meet of Champions in March.

"It's cool to meet new people and get into different activities," said Pennsauken freshman Jeremiah Moses, who plans to try out for the soccer team in the fall.

"I bring good energy, good sportsmanship, just good vibes all around. We're like a huge family."

Sparta and Mount Olive were the top two large schools at the inaugural free-standing NJSIAA Unified Track and Field Championships on June 8 at Franklin High School. Morristown won the small-school division.

In past years, the handful of Unified events were mixed into the Group championships schedule, dividing teams into multiple sites.

"After 50 years of being in business, Special Olympics knows it needs to do better," Voorhees High School assistant principal Kelly Ann Kieffer, assistant principal at Voorhees High School,the first in New Jersey to be recognized as a national Unified Champion School.

"Unified is a way to do that. The students I'm supporting would not be able to do sports or be in the play without Unified. ... We have some significant (disabled) students, and they would not be able to access the least restrictive environment, not for a second. Our main objective is every student should be able to access their high school experience to the best of their ability."

Rosemary Parisi said GiGi"flourished" once she got to high school because of sports. Sheloved field hockey so much, Rosemary bought her a stick, balls and a net to practice in the family's yard. She scored 150 points in her basketball career, getting into both varsity and JV games "if they're winning big or losing big," according to Rosemary Parisi.

GiGi got into softball three years ago, and though she rarely got into a game due to safety concerns, Rosemary Parisi said "her role is being in the dugout, cheering on all the girls, helping the coach (BillRomano) when he gets too stressed."

"It takes a lot to be on a gen ed team: a lot of stamina, understanding, good behavior, good health," Rosemary Parisi said. "You have to have a coach who supports it. You have to have an aide in the background should anything happen. If there are health issues, people have to be trained. We all worked very hard to make it happen. GiGi is the poster child for inclusion in a sports team, but that's just because we struck it right. Not everybody can do that."

GiGi is now 22, and just graduated from Mount Olive High School. Rosemary Parisi hopes her daughter can volunteer asa peer mentor or coach for the Unified programin the fall to keep "the camaraderie of a team."

That's one thing Michael McCloskey was seeking when he joined the cross country, bowling and spring track teams at West Milford High School. But when he tried out for Team New Jersey ahead of the Special Olympics USA Games, Gina McCloskey told her son, "This is your time to shine. This is your place."

Michael McCloskey, a sophomore who has autism and a seizure disorder,wound up on ESPN's social-media feeds after a last-second comeback in his heat of the 1,500 meters on June 7.

For three weeksleading up to the USA Games, McCloskey went from gen-ed track practice to Special Olympics practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays often accompanied at both by senior Chase Appell and junior Wyatt Space, longtime West Milford Unified partners. On Sundays, Gina McCloskey drove her son and Destiny Geretyof Hewitt to two-hour Team New Jersey practices in Point Pleasant.

"Special Olympics gives everyone a place to be themselves, completely. You don't have to put on any kind of show for anyone else," said West Milford Special Olympics coach Kristi Clave, who teaches multiple disabilities classes at Maple Road Elementary in West Milford.

"Unified changes cultures if you do it right. If you find a couple of really great kids, and a couple of partners who are not involved in anything ... you put them on that team, and you give them purpose. You will change their lives. Not just the kids with special needs, but those kids who never felt needed and never felt loved, it will make them all a part of something."

Jane Havsyis a storyteller for the Daily Record andDailyRecord.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis,subscribe today.

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Special Olympics Unified sports: Are they inclusive enough? - Daily Record

Hong KongsSioban Haughey, the Olympic 100m and 200m freestyle silver medalist, withdrew before her first race of the world swimming championships in Budapest on Monday, citing an ankle injury.

Im sad to share that I will not be racing at the world championships this week, Haughey posted on social media. At such a high caliber meet, I want to make sure Im delivering high level performances. Unfortunately, Im not there yet. Getting through quarantine and lockdowns at the beginning of the year werent easy. Adding an ankle injury to a challenging year was really testing my character. Its been hard trying to get through all the training and rehab to get to where I want to be in a short amount of time. While my ankle has improved A LOT (thanks to the tremendous help from all of my incredible physios and doctors), I just dont think Im ready to race.

Haughey, a 24-year-old who swam for Michigan, suffered the ankle injury in May before withdrawing from the Mare Nostrum series, which would have been her first competition in an Olympic-sized pool since the Tokyo Games, according to reports.

SWIMMING WORLDS:TV Schedule|Results|U.S. Roster

In Tokyo, Haughey won Hong Kongs first Olympic swimming medals as runner-up to AussiesEmma McKeon(100m free) andAriarne Titmus(200m free) in Asian record times.

McKeon and Titmus both skipped worlds to focus on the Commonwealth Games later this summer. Their absences combined with Haugheys injury mean that Canadian Penny Oleksiakis the lone Tokyo Olympic medalist in either the womens 100m or 200m frees competing at worlds.

Another Australian, Mollie OCallaghan, is the fastest woman this year in both events among those entered in them at worlds.

Also Monday, South AfricanChad le Closno-showed for the 200m butterfly preliminary heats before it was announced that he withdrew from the meet entirely due to an unspecified medical condition.

Le Clos, a four-time Olympic medalist, won gold in the 200m fly at the 2012 London Olympics, upsetting Michael Phelps. Le Clos was fifth in the 200m fly in Tokyo.

The 30-year-old placed 33rd in the 50m butterfly heats on Saturday in his lone swim at worlds.

AmericanBobby Finkes chances of following his Olympic 800m free gold with a world title received a boost. While Finke qualified for Tuesdays final in sixth place across preliminary heats, GermanLukas Martens, the world No. 1 this year, was 15th and missed the eight-man final.

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Sioban Haughey, Chad le Clos out of world swimming championships - Home of the Olympic Channel