SAAC Holds Special Olympics Clinic
NEW LONDON, Conn.--Mitchell College played host to seven other
New England Collegiate Conference schools on March 27 for the
annual conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
meeting.
A total of 27 student-athletes and advisors attended the meeting,
which featured a special presentation by Ed Center. After the
meeting, the students had a chance to host an event for the Groton,
CT chapter of the Special Olympics.
The meeting kicked off with a conference update by NECC
Commissioner Del Malloy. He highlighted the fact that Regis College
will join the conference as a full member in July, and that the
NECC will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament next year
in the sports of men’s golf and men’s volleyball.
The conference SAAC members then shared with the group all of the
projects and events they were involved with on their individual
campuses. Fundraising for Haiti, Habitat for Humanity and Special
Olympics were just a few of the organizations that the
student-athletes had supported in the past year.
Up next was the presentation by Center, the Program Director for
Team Up For Youth, a non-profit which has encouraged more than
1,000 middle school girls in California to participate on sports
teams. His presentation stressed the need for more young adults to
get involved in community programs to increase opportunities for
those in society who live on the fringes. He used the examples of
Title IX, the Special Olympics and a group of women’s soccer
teams in Africa whose members all have AIDS as examples of
community action that involves sports.
After a quick break for lunch, the SAAC members spent the
afternoon putting on a basketball clinic for members of the Special
Olympics. Both sides engaged in skills and drills before breaking
up into teams and playing five-on-five games. The day then
concluded with both groups enjoying an ice cream social
together.
Bay
Path College
Dajara Wright
Taylor Riley
Justine Hook
Jessica Huntley-Advisor
Becker College
Danielle Stryker
Jackie Chila
Branden Parkhouse
Samly Phonesavanh-Advisor
Daniel Webster
College
Kacie Lang
Alycia Gervais
Sarah Clark
Alex Winnicker-Advisor
Elms College
Mike Desmond
Kerry Ashe
Kelly Callahan
Laura Habacker-Advisor
Craig Cowles-Golf Coach
Lesley University
Alyson Durben
Jackee Sanchez
Ryan McCarthy-SID
Mitchell College
Tad Maynard
Marie Connelly
Bernadette Macca-Advisor
Newbury College
Jessica Graus
Ariel Ross
Amy Chen
Brook Capello-Advisor
Southern Vermont College
Wheelock College
Julie Kilcoyne
Courtesy of Mitchell Sports Information
