From PyeongChang to Seattle with Comcast
Twenty-eighteen is an exciting year for elite athletes! We enjoyed the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in February and the PeyongChang 2018 Paralympics in March, and this summer, it will be time for our Special Olympics athletes to shine at the 2018 USA Games in Seattle, Washington!
To celebrate the courage and tenacity of ALL athletes, and the excitement of elite competition, Comcast held a celebration at their STUDIO Xfinity facility in Chicago during the Olympic Winter Games. Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, the official U.S. broadcast partner of the Olympics through 2032.
While watching ski and snowboard competition on giant screens in high definition, guests enjoyed a cross-cultural buffet of Korean and American delicacies. Three incredible athletes were in attendance: Emily Brydon, a retired Olympic downhill skier from Canada, Tucker Dupree, a Paralympics swimming champion from the United States, and our very own, Ashley Jones, part of the 2018 Team Illinois gymnastics team. Debra Marton, Senior Manager of Community Investment at Comcast who helped bring everyone together offered, “What a beautiful group of people that came out to celebrate the Olympics with us! Ashley Jones is a sweetheart and I can see why she was chosen as one of the Team Illinois Athletes.”
After a warm welcome from Matt Summy, Vice President of External & Government Affairs at Comcast, the audience listened intently to highlights for Special Olympics Illinois in 2018, and then learned about Ashley’s story through a short film. After a round of applause and high-fives for Ashley and Jones family, Matt announced that Comcast would donate $5,000 to Special Olympics Illinois to underwrite the costs of ceremonial uniforms for Team Illinois.
Held just once every four years, the USA Games offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our athletes to travel the country and compete at the highest levels in their sport as part of the Illinois delegation. In Seattle, Team Illinois will also enjoy the pageantry of opening and closing ceremonies, meet professional athletes from their favorite sports, and experience a very special Fourth of July celebration at the University of Washington’s Husky Stadium. Team Illinois for 2018 includes fifty-two athletes, competing in eight sports: athletics, basketball, bocce, bowling, artistic gymnastics, swimming, powerlifting and tennis.
We have high expectations for these fierce competitors, and know they will represent Illinois proudly. Now, thanks to our friends at Comcast, they will look every bit like the champions they are!
If your organization is interested in learning more about USA Games and Team Illinois, and helping our athletes get to Seattle, contact Michelle Weiner, Director of Strategic Development at 312-972-5616 or mweiner@soill.org.