Orlando

Orlando City SC to Welcome Special Olympians at Thursday Training

Published

10 years ago

August 10, 2016

ORLANDO (FNN SPORTS): Orlando City Soccer Club to host Special Olympics team Thursday. Photo: Florida National News.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) By Orlando City SC – After being formally introduced in front of 28,247 fans at Sunday’s Orlando City match against Seattle, athletes competing in Special Olympics’ Unified match will meet Lions players following the Club’s training session on Thursday.

Photo and video opportunities will be available to media at the session.

Orlando City SC and the Chicago Fire will join forces on Aug. 14 to support Special Olympics and MLS Works, playing a combined match following their Major League Soccer (MLS) match at Toyota Park. The 6 p.m. ET game is part of the Special Olympics Unified sports exchange program, the cornerstone of the ongoing partnership between MLS and Special Olympics North America.

Orlando and Chicago will join Special Olympians from their respective communities for a competitive match, the MLS’ 10th Unified game this season. A total of 15 matches will be played throughout the season. The Special Olympians will travel to Chicago for the match where they will face their Illinois counterparts, while also being joined by professional Lions and Fire players.

“Soccer is a sport that transcends boundaries and brings people together in a truly unique way,” said Sherry Wheelock, President and CEO of Special Olympics Florida. “This Unified match brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to play as one team, showing that soccer also goes beyond stereotypes and prejudices against people with disabilities. We are thrilled to be partnering with Orlando City Soccer Club for this exciting opportunity to highlight the talents and abilities of our athletes.”

Special Olympics Unified Sports have more than half a million participants worldwide and combat stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities by bringing people together through sports. Unified Sports joins athletes both with and without mental disabilities on the same team to promote social inclusion.

2016 Special Olympics Florida Unified Roster
Player	Hometown	School
Cesar Yadier Aponte-Barreto	Orlando, Fla.	The Conrad Academy
Enrique Capeluto	Miami, Fla.	Rollins College
Haley Eckel	Land O Lakes, Fla.	Land O Lakes High School
Jesse Fusilier	Cincinnati, Ohio	Access Charter School
Jack Gourlay	Orlando, Fla.	Pace Brantley
Danny Huertas	Weston, Fla.	Rollins College
Pablo Huertas	Weston, Fla.	Rollins College
Olivia Marincov	Orlando, Fla.	University of Florida
Parker Nelson	Orlando, Fla	Lake Howell High School
Kristian Phifer	Orlando, Fla.	Florida Virtual School
Hassan Shehab	Land O Lakes, Fla.	Land O Lakes High School
Ordray Smith	Tampa, Fla.	Land O Lakes High School

About Special Olympics Florida:

Special Olympics Florida provides year-round sports training, competition, and health services to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, at no cost to the athletes or their caregivers, as a means to achieve physical fitness, self-esteem, socialization skills, and the life skills necessary to be productive, respected, and contributing members of their communities. To learn more, visitwww.specialolympicsflorida.org.

Follow Special Olympics Florida’s team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

1 year ago

March 9, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Published

1 year ago

October 30, 2024

Mike Brodsky

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.

Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.

Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:

Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview

Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.

Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

2 years ago

March 10, 2024

Mike Brodsky

Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.