
Special Olympics, Colorado Rapids and Kroenke Sports Charities Partner to Provide Unique Experience
August 14, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release
Englewood, Colo. - Last night, Special Olympics Colorado (SOCO) and the Colorado Rapids kicked off the second annual Colorado Rapids Special Olympics Unified All-Star Soccer season at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. This partnership is a program that provides unique training, competitions and social experiences for not only individuals with intellectual disabilities but for everyone involved. Through the generosity of the Kroenke Sports Charities' Teammates for Kids program, in addition to financial and in-kind support from Dick's Sporting Goods, Coca-Cola and the Colorado Rapids, 11 athletes and coaches from Colorado will have the opportunity to engage with the Colorado Rapids in a one-of-kind experience over the next six weeks.
Special Olympics Unified Sports̨̉ is a program which integrates Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners (typically developing players) on the same team. This summer's program includes practices, ongoing interaction with Colorado Rapids players, and soccer matches against Special Olympics Unified teams from other states who are engaging in a similar way with their local MLS teams.
"The Colorado Rapids and Kroenke Sports Charities are leaders in building a unique opportunity for our athletes through a series of first-class soccer experiences and social activities," says Mindy Watrous, President and CEO of Special Olympics Colorado. "Special Olympics is committed to growing the sport of soccer around the globe and building more awareness around the impact of our Special Olympics Unified Sports program. Thanks to the genuine involvement of the Rapids front office executives and the club's players, we are positively impacting the lives of the athletes selected this year and paving the way for growth of a program that will ultimately demonstrate the value of an inclusive culture within youth sports."
The 2013 Colorado Rapids Special Olympics Unified All-Star soccer team is made up of athletes, partners and coaches from along the Front Range. Special Olympics athletes include Mackenzie Beauvais-Nikl, Morgan Butler, Ben Hollis, Ibsen Ojeda and Sam Villela. Azur Ewari, Dylan Spencer and Ryan Yim are participating as Special Olympics Unified partners; and Aspen DeField, Ilima Kane and Phil Knight are serving as the Unified team's coaches.
The athletes and partners on the team range in age from 14-21 years old and reside predominately in the Denver area (Butler comes from Colorado Springs). DeField is a recreation therapist for the Denver Parks and Recreation Adaptive Recreation program. Kane is a program manager at Klein Buendel, Inc., and Knight works for Next Gen Web Solutions. All three coaches volunteer as Special Olympics coaches for Denver Parks and Recreation and served as the coaching staff in the inaugural year program.
"The experience last year made me feel like I was part of something bigger, something different than school teams," said Mackenzie Beauvais-Nikl, captain of the 2012 Rapids Special Olympics Unified All-Star team. "It felt like I was a normal kid and I had my own group of friends. It felt really good. I learned to be a team leader and to be supportive. I said to my teammates: "ÃËTry it again, don't give up and don't walk away from it.'"
"The Rapids organization provides the athletes with an opportunity to work hard, form team bonds, develop independence and leadership skills, and have a source of pride that their families and peers can witness, while participating in a sport that they enjoy," Aspen DeField said. "It is also amazing to see the effect that working with Special Olympics athletes has had on the players and staff of the Rapids."
Last night, the team met for its first practice at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Each Special Olympics team member arrived at DSG Park and was escorted to the official Rapids locker room where they had their own locker loaded up with full sets of personalized game, practice and travel gear, including cleats and a ball. Defender Chris Klute and goalkeeper Matt Pickens, serving as the lead Rapids players for this season's Special Olympics program, were on hand to personally congratulate the players on their selection and welcome them to the Colorado Rapids family.
"We are all inspired by the dedication of the athletes, coaches and staff from Special Olympics Colorado, and they made a huge impression on us last year when this program first started," said Rapids President Tim Hinchey. "Our players truly enjoyed the experience of working with the Colorado Rapids Special Olympics team in 2012, and are excited to engage and participate again this season. We see this team as an important part of the Colorado Rapids, another way for us to connect with everyone in our community, to encourage a love of being active, competing, and playing the sport of soccer. We're excited to see these young players in action."
In addition to weekly practices with appearances and training from Colorado Rapids players, the Rapids Special Olympics Unified team will compete against two other states in September. The first of back-to-back weekends kicks off with Colorado hosting a Special Olympics team from Dallas when FC Dallas heads north for a match at DSG on Saturday, September 14. The three-day trip will be highlighted by a 40-minute match at DSG Park immediately following the MLS match between the Rapids and FC Dallas which starts at 7 p.m. MT.
A special $20 ticket rate (face value $35) is available for friends and fans of Special Olympics are available for the Sept. 14 match by visiting SpecialOlympicsCO.org. A portion of the proceeds for those tickets sold through the Special Olympics website will go to help fund Special Olympics soccer programs.
The following weekend, Sept. 20-22, the SOCO Rapids Unified Team will travel to Portland, Ore., for a similar exchange program with Special Olympics Oregon and the Portland Timbers. While in Portland, the team will participate in an exclusive training program at the Adidas corporate headquarters' state of the art facilities.
Colorado Rapids Special Olympics Unified All-Star Team Roster
Name Age School Years in SOCO
MacKenzie Beauvais-Nikl 18 Thomas Jefferson High School 5
Morgan Butler 19 Colorado Springs School District 11 Transition Program 13
Azur Ewari 14 Legend High School 10
Ben Hollis 17 Montbello High School 4
Ibsen Ojeda 19 West High School 5
Dylan Spencer 20 Arapahoe Community College 1
Sam Villela 19 North High School 1
Ryan Yim 21 University of Northern Colorado 5
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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