With rankings of No. 5 and No. 41 in the NCAA respectively, the Virginia men’s and women’s tennis teams are making news for their performance between the lines. But what they recently did off the court deserves much more attention. When I heard that both teams volunteered their time to work with Special Olympics Virginia in Charlottesville for the second straight year, I knew I needed to write a column about it.
The second annual Special Olympics Virginia Xperience Tennis Invitational was held Jan. 15 through Jan. 17 at the Boar’s Head Inn Sports Club of Charlottesville. The three-day tournament featured nonstop tennis matches and also included a clinic Friday night hosted by the Cavaliers’ tennis teams with the help of the Virginia softball team. This year, the number of athletes in the tournament increased from 30 to 35, and the Cavaliers were clearly moved by the event; they returned to Boar’s Head for Saturday’s awards ceremony. This impressed Special Olympics Virginia Public Relations Director Holly Claytor, who called the team’s support Saturday “one of the most rewarding things to see during the weekend.”
She was delighted to see the Virginia tennis teams support and connect with the athletes. The Cavaliers “were cheering when the athletes were getting their medals. They wanted to be there for that.”
The Cavalier players and coaches became involved in the Xperience after Ron Manilla, the tournament director at Boar’s Head, mentioned the idea to Virginia men’s tennis coach Brian Boland. Naturally, the players wanted to get involved, and Boland himself emceed the closing ceremonies at the Xperience.
While Virginia’s student-athlete volunteers surely enjoyed themselves, they certainly were not alone. For Special Olympics athletes such as Jon Fried of Charlottesville, this was an opportunity to show off against college-level players. Fried is a World Games gold medal winner, and many of his fellow athletes are highly skilled tennis players. For all 35 athletes who came to Charlottesville from 10 states to play in the tournament, as well as for the 200-plus volunteers who helped put it all together, the Xperience was truly memorable.
“What we want is that you don’t come out and just see the experience or watch the experience, we want you to have the Xperience,” Claytor said. “When you come out and get involved with the program, you will want to come back, and you hopefully will have your mind changed about these athletes and their abilities.”
Events like this are important for the community, as it shows that people of all ages and abilities can play together on the same courts and share the same passion for the same sports. Special Olympics Virginia allows athletes the opportunity to play 18 sports, from tennis and basketball to alpine skiing and speed skating. I encourage any Virginia sports team, as well as any student, to get in touch with Special Olympics Virginia if you are interested in volunteering at future events. After all, there’s no better way to help the community than to Xperience it for yourself.
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