Villanova’s Special Olympics will be hosting its annual Fall Festival during the weekend of Nov. 3. Entering its 35th year on campus, Fall Festival is a cherished and highly anticipated weekend for Villanova. As the largest student-run Special Olympics event in the world, with over 1,100 athletes, 7,000 volunteers and 500 coaches, Fall Festival is always a weekend to remember.
Villanova Special Olympics works alongside Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) to cultivate an inclusive environment for all attendees. Preparation for the Fall Festival is crucial, beginning as early as a year in advance.
There are many aspects to Fall Festival preparation. The athletes compete year-round for a chance to attend and compete in Villanova’s Fall Festival. They must progress through sectional competitions in order to earn a spot in a competition at Fall Festival. The sports hosted by Villanova include powerlifting, bocce, soccer and more.
Villanova students are encouraged to attend athlete practices leading up to the Fall Festival. At the practices, students can be found joining in on the games, walking alongside athletes around the track and even swimming in the pool with athletes.
There is a lot of behind-the-scenes preparation that most Fall Festival attendees do not see. There are more than 100 committee members, including athlete representatives, each in charge of a specific aspect of Fall Festival, such as a sport, awards or transportation.
This year’s Festival Director, senior Moira Horan, leads the student committee and connects Villanova Special Olympics with SOPA. Horan described preparation for Fall Fest and the importance of Villanova’s community throughout the preparation and during the weekend itself.
“We are so grateful for the support of Villanova’s campus,” Horan said. “The Management Team meets with our campus department about two weeks before Fall Fest to go through all the areas where we work together with our campus partners. Without their support, Fall Festival would not be possible. Student organizations get involved through signing up for Olympic Town booths and volunteering.”
Senior Elizabeth Baladez is the Human Resources Director on the Executive Board of Villanova Special Olympics. Baladez explained that the preparation for Fall Festival is a lot of work but is nonetheless extremely rewarding.
“It is a year-round planning event,” Baladez said. “There are pieces that are crucial to the entire weekend. Without one part, we would not be able to continue with this large event.”
Villanova students can sign up to be on an Inclusion Crew Cube (IC Cube), which is a group of students led by Volunteer Coordinators (VCs), assigned to one specific sport or event. For example, students can be on the Medical Volunteer IC Cube or the Powerlifting IC Cube.
IC Cubes are an easy way for students to get involved with Fall Festival. IC Cubes are mainly responsible for hyping up athletes and cheering during events. Though the deadline to join an IC Cube has passed, additional general volunteers are always welcome, and Villanovans will have the opportunity to sign up to be a general volunteer during the Fall Festival weekend at the tent on Sheehan Beach.
The weekend kicks off the evening of Friday, Nov. 3, with Opening Ceremonies in the Finneran Pavilion. All Villanovans are invited to attend. The Quad is transformed into “Olympic Town” (O-Town) for the weekend, where there are dozens of booths featuring activities for athletes. Additionally, freshmen volunteers, known as Local Program Hosts (LPHs), have a special surprise for O-Town, so one should be on the lookout for that.
Villanova’s Fall Festival is not a weekend to miss. Campus will be bustling with people like you have never seen it before (unless of course, you attended previous Fall Festivals). Be sure to make your way over to O-Town to explore and meet athletes or find a specific sport and cheer on athletes.
