More Than 500 Attend Inclusive Sports Day: Bringing Together Student Athletes and Children With Disabilities

Westcliff University played host to a heartwarming event underscoring the power of inclusivity and the joy of sports. Inclusive Sports Day, a collaborative effort with the Inclusive Sports Foundation, saw more than 500 individuals, comprising 230 Westcliff University student athletes and 211 students with diverse abilities from across the Orange County school district. All came together to partake in a day filled with fun, sports, and an unwavering commitment to inclusiveness. The venue for this memorable day was none other than the Irvine Great Park soccer fields, which plays home to Warriors mens’ and womens’ soccer games.

The Inclusive Sports Foundation, founded by native Southern Californian, Matt Lance, fosters connections between students with disabilities and student athletes, forging enriching and fulfilling experiences through sports. Lance, who spent two decades as an assistant coach in a highly-successful high school football program and a former collegiate football player himself, saw the need for this space to exist and understood the camaraderie that sports can create. Stating, “Creating inclusive environments such as these events is so important and what better way to do that than with sports.” In a large huddle with all student athletes at the start of the day, Lance went on to reiterate how beneficial these events are for everyone, including the student athletes, saying, “I’ve seen firsthand how much these experiences positively impact not only the students with disabilities participating but the student athletes, as well. You will leave a different person.”

Inclusive Sports Day was a celebration of unity, featuring an array of engaging activities. The event boasted 13 Westcliff-hosted athletic stations, complete with carnival games, delicious pizza that stacked up high to feed all in attendance, as well as an electrifying dance party with a live DJ. The event was a true community effort, with Westcliff student athletes representing 15 different sports and their coaches, 60-plus dedicated Westcliff employees from the Irvine campus, and students with varying abilities from Edison High School, Ocean View High School, and Westminster High School all coming together to make this day a resounding success. Joe Loomis, Special Programs Administrator at Edison High School, spoke of the success saying, “The biggest impact from today’s event was the joy and positive feedback I got from the kids and parents. When I got back to campus – they were excited and still wearing their shirts.”

Westcliff University takes immense pride in creating opportunities for its staff and students to engage with the community and support individuals of all ages and abilities. Events like the Inclusive Sports Day resonate with the institution’s core values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership, embodying the spirit of inclusivity and community engagement. Silje Deuerlein, Director of Domestic Outreach at Westcliff University had this to say, “We can live our values and participate with a benefit to our community and the reward is instant when you see the smiles on everyone’s faces.”

Inclusive Sports Day was not just a success; it was a heartwarming testament to the power of sports to bring people together, regardless of their abilities. Olivia Pino, softball student athlete at Westcliff University stated, “The event was such a breath of fresh air. It was awesome to experience our sport that we know so well and compete in and go back to a place that reminds us why we started it in the first place, which is for the fun of it all. The energy was amazing, everyone was so excited and involved. It was a similar feeling to being in a game with everyone cheering.”

After hours of sports in the sun and new friendships made, it was time to gather everyone together to hand out some well earned prizes to the students. This consisted of various Westcliff athletes’ signed sports gear including basketballs, volleyballs, cheer cones and more with all visiting students leaving with a bag of Westcliff goodies.
Everyone involved left clearly feeling fulfilled, and connected, fostering a sense of camaraderie that will undoubtedly resonate within all those who participated. Westcliff University’s commitment to inclusivity and community engagement shines brightly through events such as this.