Student-Athletes Put Rivalries Aside for Charity

CACC Silly Olympics for Wishes raises money for Make-A-Wish Foundation

College athletics has long produced bitter rivalries. But the Student Athlete Advisory Committee of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference proved last month that the bridge between bitterness and silliness is a short one. CACC Silly Olympics With the goal of promoting sportsmanship among student-athletes while raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the first CACC Silly Olympics for Wishes split 84 competitors representing all 13 conference institutions into 10 teams, each bearing its own unique name and wearing a different colored Silly Olympics T-shirt. Events staged on the campus of Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J., included tug of war, dizzy bat and three-legged racing. The winning team combined athletes from four sports (baseball, soccer and men's and women's basketball) and eight schools. Each team member received a certificate of victory during a post-Olympics barbecue.

According to the CACC, student-athletes raised a combined $340 toward the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. "I give these student-athletes a lot of credit for having a vision of what they wanted and then putting in the time and effort necessary to make it a reality," said CACC associate commissioner Bernadette Macca, via a conference press release. Added Lynn Tubman, associate director of athletics at Philadelphia University, "The athletes had the opportunity to interact and walk away with an appreciation for what it means to be a part of the conference. It is definitely an event that should take place every year."