Miami Tennis Hosts Special Olympics Clinic
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – On Thursday, Special Olympic athletes got a taste of collegiate tennis, when they were hosted by UM men’s and women’s tennis along with the brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
The event, called 30-Love, was a clinic that came to fruition when Alex Gold, the Event and Sponsorship Coordinator for USTA Florida, reached out to UM SAE chapter president, Sean Mulligan. Gold, a graduate of Richmond and a fellow brother of SAE, and Mulligan got the brothers of SAE to volunteer their time to play with the Special Olympic athletes, looking for a fun and enjoyable experience.
“I think that this is one of those events where everybody gets something from it. Everybody’s having fun. Athletes are interacting with the students and vice-versa. I think everybody’s going to benefit tremendously from it” said Gold, the orchestrator of the clinic.
Mulligan gave his volunteer perspective of the clinic, “From the volunteer side of things, there’s no better feeling than coming out here and putting a smile on people’s faces. You can just see the joy in the athletes faces. It’s honestly awesome to be a part of and it’s a feeling that you can’t get any other way.”
It wasn’t long before both men’s and women’s tennis wanted to help provide these athletes with an unforgettable experience. Cathy Nordlund, a Tennis Program Coordinator at USTA Florida, reached out to both the men’s and women’s programs and it was an easy decision to make for women’s head coach, Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. According to Yaroshuk-Tews, this clinic was mutually beneficial.
“I think for the special Olympic athletes, it’s great. For the fraternity, it’s great. For our student athletes, it’s great. Everybody has something to take from this.”
Men’s tennis head coach, Mario Rincon, echoed Yaroshuk-Tews’ sentiments on the clinic, “It’s great for the team to have an opportunity to work with a bunch of people that enjoy the game, enjoy being out here, and enjoy trying tennis for maybe the first time in their lives. I think it’s a great activity for our teams, and it’s a great experience.”
With the engaging attitudes of the student-athletes and the brothers of SAE, who acted as coaches for the day, it wasn’t hard to get smiles and excited cheers from the Special Olympic athletes, and according to Jesse Flores, a junior on the men’s tennis team, a little effort goes a long way.
“Even a small event like this can bring these athletes joy, and for us, it’s so great to see them smile and see their happiness. It makes me feel very lucky to share that experience with them.”
For Flores, this was a cause near and dear to his heart. He has a cousin from Costa Rica who is a Special Olympic athlete and participated in the Special Olympic World Games. Flores enjoyed every moment of the clinic and noticed that two of the participants, Roy and Tyler, were “really having a great time and loving it.” He also loved the experience, remarking that this clinic will definitely be in his memories for a long time.
For Alex Gold, this clinic hopefully encourages the student-athletes and the brothers that are out here volunteering to continue to volunteer for Special Olympics and USTA Florida after this event.
