For the seventh year in a row, Special Olympics Michigan athletes battled it out at Fiat Chrysler’s Chelsea Proving Grounds in the coveted state cycling finals on Saturday, September 30. What turned out to be a crisp, clear fall day set the scene for more than 150 athletes and a solid support system of coaches, family, friends and volunteers, which included Notre Dame upper division teachers Mark McCaskey and Brian Perry.
The events in Chelsea were part of Special Olympics Michigan’s State Fall Games, which offered a high profile, exciting event for approximately 1,600 Special Olympics Michigan athletes to showcase their skills in flag football, soccer, cycling, softball, golf and kayaking.
McCaskey, an NDP math teacher, and Perry, who teaches social studies, along with numerous other cycling volunteers, rode with the athletes and encouraged them to ride fast, helped them keep track of laps in longer races, gave them someone to chase, and praised them afterwards. Events varied but most were shorter than 1K. Some, however, went up to 10K.
For more than four decades, the Special Olympics has provided children and adults with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to train and compete in a wide range of year-round sport competitions totaling more than 440 local and regional activities annually. Cycling is one of a nearly dozen state-level competitions held annually for its athletes with 15 individual and team events using bicycles and tricycles.
The two Notre Dame teachers rode more than 40 miles in helping out on Saturday.
The Special Olympics Michigan organizes more than 440 annual local and regional competitions.
About Special Olympics Michigan
Special Olympics Michigan (SOMI) provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for 20,679 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Athletes build physical fitness, develop self-confidence and prepare for participation in society. SOMI is a non-profit organization supported almost entirely through corporate funding, individual gifts, without support of state funds. The generosity of Michigan organizations, individuals and statewide businesses enable the program to continue.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.