College hockey team travels to Burlington for Special Olympics

On Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st, Special Olympics Vermont hosted its Spring Sports Basketball Tournament at the University of Vermont’s Patrick Gymnasium. In addition to basketball games, there were also several skills competitions offered for the athletes. Five members of the men’s hockey team, Nick Resor ’12, Mike Griffin ’12, Chris Steele ’13, Chris Brown ’13 and Mike Longo ’14,  drove to Burlington for the event.
“It was a great opportunity to show support for a group of fans who regulary attend our hockey games,” said Steele in an email.
Longo agreed.
“The best part was walking in and seeing their reaction when they saw us,” he said in an email. “The group is a ton of fun and they kept us smiling the whole day.”
Individual competitions during the weekend included passing, shooting and dribbling. Griffin was amazed at the level of dedication and commitment from the athletes.
“I really think that their enthusiasm is something that we all can learn from,” he said in an email. “It is also humbling to see the patience and resilience of the men and women who take care of these athletes.”
The boys felt they took away much from the day, as well.
“Seeing them [the athletes] play basketball and enjoy it so much also reminded us of how lucky we are to be able to play sports,” Resor said in an email. “It reminded us that we play sports for the fun and love of the game.”