Community over competition for this McMaster athlete
Fourth-year McMaster Humanities student Andrew Richards likes bringing people together: town and gown, amateur and professional, and, most recently, student athletes and Special Olympics athletes.
Inspired by his summer job at motionball, Richards and fellow students hosted an event that exceeded their expectations: 120 student athletes signed up to run and experience athletic events with 12 Special Olympics athletes, and raised over $5,000 for the Special Olympics along the way.
As captain of McMaster’s Men’s Volleyball Team, Richards is used to taking initiative. Last year, as part of his community project through the Wilson Leadership Scholar Award, he and fellow Wilson Leaders ran a successful clothing drive. He and his teammates committed to the training necessary to compete with professional volleyball teams in Poland this past summer, and they recently defeated the 2nd ranked US men’s volleyball team in the NCAA – twice in two nights. On top of it all, Richards’s contributing to an awareness-building campaign to end use of the R word.
Why take on extra work, on top of a full course load, and a volleyball commitment that sees him in practice, training and active recovery for 4.5 hours daily?
Richards confesses, “I’ve had such great experiences with sports, and loved getting to see others experience that, too. Now, there are 120 students at Mac who have had the same feeling.” Even more rewarding, he says, is seeing the Special Olympics athletes in their element: “They’re the most competitive athletes there, and it’s really cool to share that with them, and see them do their thing. It’s pure excitement.”
All of the Special Olympics athletes at the event were from the Hamilton area, and some are staff at McMaster’s Athletics and Recreation facilities, so the event was also a chance to see familiar faces in a different light: “It was great to get to know and celebrate them in another capacity.”
Applications for the 2018 Selection Process are now open. All application materials must be submitted by email to wilsonleader@mcmaster.ca no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on February 4, 2018. Visit the Wilson Leader website for more information.
