WORCESTER, Mass. – Worcester State University's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) spent their Sunday inside the Wellness Center hosting a Special Olympics Massachusetts basketball event.

The day kicked off at 10am when the Special Olympics participants gathered inside the Wellness Center. The Special Olympic teams were scheduled to play two games throughout the day in both the multipurpose gymnasium and the competition gymnasium.

Worcester State's student-athletes refereed, kept score and clock, and most, if not all, were fans for the games.

"Throughout the whole event, I experienced a great time cheering for several teams, interacting with the players and dancing during intermission," said SAAC officer Jordan Choquette.  

SAAC officer Hayley Sutherland thought it was great how the SAAC members were involved. "They took the games seriously and cheered the athletes in like they would their classmates."

"I loved every second of this whole event and the SAAC members around me also got involved doing many more other things," said Choquette.  "Teams loved the enthusiasm, and putting a smile on their face was the best thing we could do for them."

Worcester State's student-athlete support services coordinator, Kelly Downs monitored the event. She said, "It's great to see the athletes get excited as events such as this one. They love to make sure the special olympians are enjoying themselves and everyone is included."

"It's also awesome for our athletes to stay involved with the surrounding community and a great event for them to reap the benefits of our beautiful Wellness Center," commented Downs.

The Worcester State SAAC members do this year-after-year and look forward to hosting the event in the upcoming years.

Special Olympics (2.26.17)