Written By: Radley Theolien Erik Sampson went to Mount Wachusett Community College, and his favorite sport is hockey. Erik has been a Special Olympics athlete for six years, and is considered a versatile athlete. He has played football, hockey, track and field, bowling and golf. To Erik, being a Special Olympics athlete means, “the opportunity to make new friends, meet people all over the state around you, getting things that you never tried before and having fun as well on top of it.” One day, Erik hopes to be a sports broadcaster on air, in front of the TV….

Written By: Erik Sampson Lionel Messi once said, “You can overcome anything, if, and only if, you love something enough.” Twenty-one year-old Special Olympics soccer phenom Radley Theolien exemplifies this quote every day. How did Radley Theolien become a soccer phoenam? His road to stardom started at the age of six, when he was taught by his grandfather. In order to get better at the sport, he also learned how to play by attending a soccer camp and watching videos on YouTube of his favorite players and teams. The best part of playing soccer for Radley is his ability…

Written By: Amanda Church Anne DeForge is the definition of resilient.  Anne, a Special Olympics athlete out of Springfield, Massachusetts has had to overcome more obstacles in 35 years than most people do in their entire lives. Prior to living in Springfield, Anne lived in Syracuse, NY with her loving family. That all took a tragic turn when Anne’s parents both passed away within a few short years. How does someone deal with so much?  Anne’s sisters not only knew they had a big task in making sure Anne was going to finish high school, but they also had…

Written By: Anne DeForge Do think you could swim 25 yards while carrying the weight of two metal rods? Special Olympics Massachusetts Hall Fame athlete Amanda Church does just that every time she jumps in the pool.   When she was very young, Amanda was diagnosed with scoliosis. In 2001, when she was in the 8th grade, she had surgery to place the two metal rods at the Children’s Hospital. Without the surgery Amanda and her family were told that she could face a lot of complications in the future.  Amanda had started swimming when she was just 8 years-old and has…

Written By: Ali Phaneuf On Monday, August 8th, one Special Olympics MA athlete and Unified partner from the New England Revolution Unified Team will fly to Minnesota to compete in the Special Olympics Unified All-Star Game, presented by MLS WORKS, ESPN and Coca-Cola.  Who are the two players that will be representing Special Olympics Massachusetts? Returning NE Revs Unified Team athlete, Radley Theolien,  and first-time NE Revs Unified partner, Ian Miller. We met up with the two all-stars, so you can get to know them a little better.  Meet Radley  Age: 21 Hometown: Dorchester Position: Forward Radley is a…

Participating in Special Olympics has given Vincent Pirro the opportunity to be strong and healthy. Now 22 years old, Vincent began competing with Special Olympics at age 9. Last year he trained in 7 Special Olympics sports with the local program in Westfield: track & field, basketball, bowling, soccer, golf, power lifting and softball. Only 3 other athletes in Massachusetts, out of over 14,000, trained in that many. Out of the seven, his favorites are bowling, soccer, basketball and power lifting. His passion and dedication for power lifting was even noticed by the USA Power Lifting Organization during Summer…

Joseph Hocter Jr. likes to stay busy. REALLY busy. In 2019 Joseph trained in 7 different Special Olympics sports, worked out at a boxing gym weekly, fundraised for Special Olympics Massachusetts, attended NortheastArc programs, was a member of local organizations AND worked at Crosby’s Marketplace in Marblehead. At age 35, he has been participating in Special Olympics for 24 years since he first began swimming at age 11. In 2019 he trained in track & field, basketball, bocce, bowling, flag football, golf and power lifting.  Only 3 other athletes in Massachusetts, out of over 14,000, trained in as many sports…

Hello, I’m Gregg and I am very excited to be part of your plunge today in support of Special Olympics. Special Olympics Massachusetts offers 23 amazing sports over 4 seasons, as an athlete I compete in four of those: Alpine skiing in the winter, volleyball in the spring, softball in the summer and soccer in the fall. I would love to be able to play every sport…..but let’s be honest, I’m not superman.  For over 50 years Special Olympics has included and given the opportunities to many of my fellow athletes that they have never dreamed of. Through the…

My experience in Special Olympics – Why it’s become important in my life. There comes a time when after you first join something, you never know what might happen until you notice changes in your life down the road. Although change is a tough thing to go along with, it does feel great when it’s based on choices made. For me, being an athlete in Special Olympics was one choice that helped me make a change. Without Special Olympics, I don’t know what I would be to this day. The decision to become a Special Olympics athlete was something…

Most people reach their 80s and decide it’s time to take it slow, and watch from the sidelines as their children or grandchildren compete. But Madgalena Margelony of Shrewsbury decided 84 was the perfect age to start playing bocce with her daughter Theresa as a Unified partner. “I don’t remember what they called bocce in German, but I used to play, it was fun,” said Madgalena who was born in Germany. Theresa, 59, has been a Special Olympics athlete with the Shrewsbury program for about six or seven years now, competing in basketball, bocce and track & field.  This…