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The Games for the Physically Challenged Has Given One Leg Up to Adaptive Athletes For 40 Years · OneLegUpAlex Media

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, welcome inside to the One Leg Up with
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Alex Garrett podcast and today we are honoring the fortieth
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: anniversary of the Games for the Physically Challenged. Yes, twenty
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: twenty did not happen, but that doesn't take away from
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: the fact COVID doesn't take away from the.
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  Speaker 2: Fact that forty years ago this year.
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  Speaker 1: The empire s eight Games Physically Challenge now in NASA County.
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  Speaker 1: Games for the Physically Challenge was founded by the one
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  Speaker 1: the only, Susan Gordon Ryan and in conjunction with NBTY,
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  Speaker 1: I got a chance to catch up with Susan in
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  Speaker 1: the twenty eighth year of the Games twelve years ago.
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  Speaker 3: What do you think about this?
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  Speaker 4: We're gonna talk about this week and how it all started.
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  Speaker 5: Ah, well, we started the Games in after the Paralympics.
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  Speaker 5: And I have to say every and and there's seen
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  Speaker 5: our competition for children that are physically challenged. Between agents
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  Speaker 5: are five and twenty one and they do track fio, swimming, table.
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  Speaker 6: Tennis and best evolves. And I have to say every
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  Speaker 6: single year, I just look forward to this.
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  Speaker 5: It's a big family people. You know, even that a
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  Speaker 5: volunteer have moved out of state. They come out to
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  Speaker 5: these events and there's just always this wonderful spirit of
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  Speaker 5: camaraderie and fun and you know, really love It's like
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  Speaker 5: the games they love built.
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  Speaker 3: I mean it's just a lot of food and that's
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  Speaker 3: the realness.
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  Speaker 1: And all these for support supporting us in our course.
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  Speaker 2: For Laura, I love it.
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  Speaker 3: I love it.
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  Speaker 6: I think you know you can see behind us, there's so.
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  Speaker 3: Many different students that have come from different schools.
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  Speaker 6: They ask and their My job is to hear on
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  Speaker 6: what you're doing right now, which is exactly what makes
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  Speaker 6: it all worked for the kids.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, it's the games to the Book of the World,
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  Speaker 1: and we Summer twenty two book.
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  Speaker 2: While it's not pretty book, are really say good load
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  Speaker 2: of the sport by nut.
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  Speaker 3: On, all of them responsible well.
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  Speaker 6: At the funding was jeopardized because the Empire State Games
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  Speaker 6: were eliminated from the state parks built and out at
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  Speaker 6: any hesitation of steptout that we're gonna keep the games.
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  Speaker 5: I will commit to as much as I can as
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  Speaker 5: a host as Canny, but we're gonna need to raise some.
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  Speaker 3: Other funcks for this.
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  Speaker 4: And this is what we're doing right now, and.
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  Speaker 6: It's finished tremendous success in second year on a raft all.
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  Speaker 1: Right after Mitchell Atleticon, Blood Song, the Empire, Sad Games,
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  Speaker 1: literally Challenged weekends.
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  Speaker 3: I'm alas here well, Susan Grunrunn.
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  Speaker 5: Thank you, Susan, can't you?
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  Speaker 2: It was so awesome to see her again.
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  Speaker 1: She was very busy, as was Susan Maxwell and everybody
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  Speaker 1: else at the fortieth anniversary celebration on Friday, But it
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  Speaker 1: was so awesome to see everybody, even Miss Joy who
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  Speaker 1: coached Gabby, and I has not age has not changed
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  Speaker 1: one bit since I was five years old. And that's
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  Speaker 1: to set a compliment to her and her everlasting legendary
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  Speaker 1: run at the Viscardi School and at the Game's Physically Challenged.
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  Speaker 2: She was my very first coach.
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  Speaker 1: And we'll hear from my other coach, Ocelonica right now
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  Speaker 1: about what the Games means to him.
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  Speaker 3: I grew up on the Games.
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  Speaker 7: I was there, you know, as an athlete for the
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  Speaker 7: very first one, so I you know, in two thousand
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  Speaker 7: and nine, you know me personally, that was the first
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  Speaker 7: one I missed, either as an athlete, a volunteer or
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  Speaker 7: a coach.
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  Speaker 3: I've been to everyone except that one, and of course
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  Speaker 3: now this year Joe at the end of put video,
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  Speaker 3: but I definitely took pictures.
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  Speaker 1: It's amazing God's timing that you were able to do
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  Speaker 1: this the speaker, you know, keynote last year, and I
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  Speaker 1: mean that was that must have been you know, chilling
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  Speaker 1: in a way.
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  Speaker 7: That was a great honor. I mean, like I said,
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  Speaker 7: I grew up on these games. I know what you
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  Speaker 7: know they've done for me. I know what they mean
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  Speaker 7: to everybody. And to be asked to be the keynote
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  Speaker 7: speaker at last year's games, that was definitely a highlight
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  Speaker 7: in my life.
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  Speaker 3: Joe.
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  Speaker 1: People that have kids with disabilities that might be hearing
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  Speaker 1: for the first time, what's your encouragement to them to
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  Speaker 1: not only do Viscardi, but in general get their kid
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  Speaker 1: out and about what's your encouragement to them today As
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  Speaker 1: as a.
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  Speaker 8: Kid, if you're a kid looking you know for a
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  Speaker 8: niche in life, right, basketball, specifically wheelchair athletics is a
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  Speaker 8: great way to find yourself.
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  Speaker 7: You know, you know, you're you're active, you're meeting people,
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  Speaker 7: you're going places. That's all important stuff, especially for a
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  Speaker 7: person with a disability, instead of you know, just kind
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  Speaker 7: of hanging inside watching TV all day.
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  Speaker 8: It's important to be active and whatever you can do, you.
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  Speaker 3: Need to do yes, and.
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  Speaker 7: It's whatever kind of function you have, you need to
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  Speaker 7: keep that right.
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  Speaker 8: And athletics, whether it's playing basketball or just cruising around
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  Speaker 8: the neighborhood in your wheelchair, that's important, you know, because
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  Speaker 8: your body, you need your body needs exercise.
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  Speaker 7: You know, you need to stay in shape and stay fit.
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  Speaker 7: And those of us that have disabilities need to do
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  Speaker 7: that even more because we are behind the eight ball
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  Speaker 7: physically and medically, you know, so some things don't work
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  Speaker 7: for us, so we need to take advantage of the
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  Speaker 7: things that do work. As for Viscarti as a school,
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  Speaker 7: it's a great place. It's fantastic. I mean, you know,
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  Speaker 7: you get a great quality education where regents accredited. Doctor
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  Speaker 7: v had the idea that not only will you have
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  Speaker 7: an education, but you'll have the opportunity to have therapies there,
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  Speaker 7: whether it's physical therapy, occupational therapy, things like that. We
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  Speaker 7: at Viscarti wanted to and he wanted to make it
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  Speaker 7: as real a school as we can. You know, so
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  Speaker 7: anything that the quote unquote able body world does in school,
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  Speaker 7: we do, whether it's playing basketball, going to prom, senior
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  Speaker 7: class trips, student council.
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  Speaker 1: I was gonna say, how much does sports cause remember
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  Speaker 1: in the nineties, Jordan had this big world.
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  Speaker 3: Open up because he was doing basketball. He went overseason
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  Speaker 3: and all that. But sports for you and even the
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  Speaker 3: kids at HVS, they get doors open when they join
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  Speaker 3: the sports program something.
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  Speaker 9: Yes, yeah, absolutely, because wheelchair athletics is not very well
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  Speaker 9: known and if you're good at it right and in
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  Speaker 9: today's world especially, I like the idea that you know,
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  Speaker 9: the corporate world, the media is looking at a person
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  Speaker 9: with a disability and not feeling sorry for them, but
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  Speaker 9: encouraging them and congratulating them because whatever obstacles they face,
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  Speaker 9: they are overcoming by doing something athletically.
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  Speaker 1: No, it wouldn't be the Games for physically Challenged without
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  Speaker 1: Mama Pat Jordan and David Maxwell, the son of Susan Maxwell.
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  Speaker 1: And here's this little kidid conversation with them back in
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  Speaker 1: twenty twenty two at NASA Community College on that Friday night.
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  Speaker 3: David Maxwell, welcome back, thank you very much, and Mama
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  Speaker 3: Pat welcome back again.
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  Speaker 10: Thank you very much. We're so happy to be here.
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  Speaker 11: Mama Pat, real quick, I know we only got five
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  Speaker 11: minutes because because it's an effect, but can you believe
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  Speaker 11: they let the two almost to a podcast.
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  Speaker 10: No, now, I don't believe that. They don't let us
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  Speaker 10: sign out all day we're here at Mitchell Field and
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  Speaker 10: they put David on one end and me on the
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  Speaker 10: other so we don't cause any trouble. But it was
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  Speaker 10: such a great day. Tell Mar great day.
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  Speaker 11: Yeah, tell us about the day to listen first time
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  Speaker 11: back in three years. We had close to nine hundred athletes,
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  Speaker 11: down a little bit from previous years, but for I
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  Speaker 11: think for the first time back in three years, we're
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  Speaker 11: happy with that number and we're looking to, you know,
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  Speaker 11: keep it going and the man, it's so good to
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  Speaker 11: see the familiar faces and now I will go ahead.
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  Speaker 10: It's really great and smiling familiar face'll be. Everybody is
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  Speaker 10: just so well with joyed to be able to be
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  Speaker 10: back and.
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  Speaker 3: Enjoy the day.
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  Speaker 10: It was such a nice thing to see all these
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  Speaker 10: kids running around with the gold medals. They weren't doing
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  Speaker 10: all our events, the running the shield events, and tonight
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  Speaker 10: we're here in Yster Community College.
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  Speaker 3: Was swimming and wheelchair basketball and ping pong and ping pong.
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  Speaker 4: Yes, the sport day, the sport that forrests Go made famous.
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  Speaker 3: Mamma I forgot, I forgot.
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  Speaker 1: My voice isn't good enough to give a shurtance to this.
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  Speaker 1: But I want you guys who have been here all
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  Speaker 1: day tell me about the COVID protocols. So let's say
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  Speaker 1: a family wants to come out tomorrow.
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  Speaker 3: Sure, talk about that. Yeah, we're not we're not.
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  Speaker 4: Really doing too much because it was all outdoors indoors.
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  Speaker 4: If you feel like you need to wear a mask.
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  Speaker 10: I mean you have masks there at the registration desk, yes,
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  Speaker 10: you know one.
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  Speaker 3: You know we're we're doing things.
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  Speaker 2: You know.
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  Speaker 3: Algy been there in Mitchellfield.
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  Speaker 11: It's well spaced out and everybody seems to be respecting
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  Speaker 11: everybody else, and it just you know, let's well, we
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  Speaker 11: need to worry about COVID.
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  Speaker 3: Let's also enjoy the night you enjoy and not worry
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  Speaker 3: so much about COVID.
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  Speaker 10: But it's time that we all got together again. I mean,
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  Speaker 10: we have eight hundred and fifty kids.
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  Speaker 3: Eight hundred and fifty kids.
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  Speaker 10: I believe today we actually competing in all the DIFFERENTI
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  Speaker 10: guys tonight, as I say, they do in the swimming,
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  Speaker 10: basketball and all ping pong, table tennis to be table tennis,
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  Speaker 10: and they like the work table tennis better, but it was.
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  Speaker 10: It was just such a pleasure, plus the fact it
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  Speaker 10: was great to see I haven't seen David in three years,
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  Speaker 10: except for what tell.
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  Speaker 4: Them what you thought about me that I'm getting a
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  Speaker 4: little one on the top of that little grayer on
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  Speaker 4: the top of that.
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  Speaker 10: Yes, David got only two.
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  Speaker 3: Years were sorry.
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  Speaker 1: I'm so glad I opened the microphone to both you
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  Speaker 1: because it's been under This has been better than when
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: I'm on my byself, So thank you for making this
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  Speaker 1: more fun. You know, I'm seeing the kids smile as
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  Speaker 1: everything every year, but come on, three years not seeing
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  Speaker 1: each other it made it even more special.
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  Speaker 3: But it was.
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  Speaker 10: It made it very special. And the chaperones too, And
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  Speaker 10: of course being that I had worked in the Piscotti
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  Speaker 10: School there is I get to see a lot of
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  Speaker 10: the kids from Wiscottie that I hadn't seen for three years,
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  Speaker 10: a lot of the a lot a lot of the
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  Speaker 10: graduates come back to these games because they haven't seen
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  Speaker 10: one another either in all this time, so it made
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  Speaker 10: it really This was of all the games I've been
• 10:40
  Speaker 10: at dirty years, this made it this special.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: I want to ask MoMA pat real quickly because I
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: see it on Facebook. But I want to hear your
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: pride and enjoy of having Mike Selani as an Ohio
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: State college.
• 10:54
  Speaker 10: Come on, it's a little while ago to say, miss
• 10:56
  Speaker 10: speed it's all that's awesome. Yes, we're very proud of
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  Speaker 10: High Estate graduate assistant an offensive line. Uh, he's very
• 11:05
  Speaker 10: happy out there. I'm we're hoping they'll keep him Friend
• 11:07
  Speaker 10: of the Year.
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: When we went to Ireland, it was all about football,
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: even back then. I remember that. I think he brought
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  Speaker 3: one to Ireland with that. Sure he did.
• 11:13
  Speaker 10: He always out of football. So we're hoping this works
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  Speaker 10: out well. From this is what he truly wants to
• 11:18
  Speaker 10: be a coach on the offensive line and some team. Oh,
• 11:22
  Speaker 10: Hi State is a good school. They treat him very nicely.
• 11:25
  Speaker 10: And are we running at Chivers?
• 11:26
  Speaker 11: No?
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  Speaker 3: No, no, just keep talking, just keep talking. I love this.
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: Oh do you I do? I actually do? David. I
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: got to ask you because since we last talked, I
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: discovered tonight you.
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: Have a podcast I do Wednesday. That's one hundred episodes
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: that credd and four Une hundred and four. Now, so
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: tell us a little about that.
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: So Wednesday's with Wheels. You know, my original ideal for
• 11:43
  Speaker 4: the podcast like.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: I give people who have never heard you before a
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: little bit of why you've created this podcast.
• 11:48
  Speaker 10: So I'm Brian tell him it's with Wheels. Because David's interwet.
• 11:51
  Speaker 4: Because I'm in a wheelchair, I forget my podcast.
• 11:54
  Speaker 3: I do uh with the video so people can see me.
• 11:59
  Speaker 4: You can also get it all the platforms.
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: But I do some local radio up in Rochester, New York.
• 12:05
  Speaker 11: I'm a Rochesterian and I'm on the radio with a
• 12:09
  Speaker 11: very famous local DJ, brother Weez. And during the pandemic,
• 12:15
  Speaker 11: I couldn't go into the studio and was only on
• 12:17
  Speaker 11: the show about fifteen minutes every Friday. So I said,
• 12:20
  Speaker 11: I need to start a podcast so that I can
• 12:23
  Speaker 11: keep this going, and Wednesdays with Wheels was born. And
• 12:26
  Speaker 11: my original idea for the podcast was to interview people
• 12:30
  Speaker 11: everyday people because my thought.
• 12:32
  Speaker 3: Is everybody has a story, so I do that.
• 12:34
  Speaker 11: I've met some people on TikTok that I interviewed, but
• 12:37
  Speaker 11: I also have interviewed some locally famous Rochester people, some
• 12:43
  Speaker 11: sports people.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: Rochester Red Wings are still up there right, Rochester Red
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Wings are still up there.
• 12:48
  Speaker 3: They're playing well this season.
• 12:50
  Speaker 4: So it's really just been a labor of love for
• 12:53
  Speaker 4: me and a way did I get to flat my gump.
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: Some more good thing.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: It's so easy to do a podcast from from on remote.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: You got to start doing it looking into that, because
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: this is pretty cool just to be here talking to
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: you guys.
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: It's so funny. I did not know that I could
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: do this, and I knew I could do it, but I've.
• 13:10
  Speaker 4: Never done it, and I'm going to do one tomorrow.
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: I'm gonna just walk around and talk to me.
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and we're gonna see how it turns out.
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: And your mom Smackswell puts effort into this each and
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: every year, can do that, so come on, let's let's
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: give her. Let's talk up a bit on it.
• 13:26
  Speaker 4: My mom is not My mom is very behind the scenes,
• 13:29
  Speaker 4: does not want the credit.
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: She desired.
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: I will tell you that these three years were probably
• 13:36
  Speaker 4: the hardest on her.
• 13:38
  Speaker 11: And even to go further back and say that when
• 13:41
  Speaker 11: the county took it over, and we need to give
• 13:44
  Speaker 11: thanks to the county, and every year we give thanks
• 13:46
  Speaker 11: to the county executive blakeman Uh for continuing the games.
• 13:51
  Speaker 11: But that you know, because there was a time when
• 13:54
  Speaker 11: we the state wasn't going to do it. We were
• 13:57
  Speaker 11: a great and I remember my mom coming to me
• 13:59
  Speaker 11: in thing.
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: The state refused to do it after a certain point.
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: For those that's what we call podcasts sounds Alex, they
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: just got.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: Some exactly and it's sure the state refused to do it.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: And I can I say under Coomo, let me just
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: say it out that he cut the budget like his first.
• 14:13
  Speaker 10: Year and saw this one that really started games. Yes,
• 14:17
  Speaker 10: we didn't understand that show.
• 14:19
  Speaker 4: We're very happy that the county came in, stepped up
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: and took it over every year.
• 14:24
  Speaker 10: And our county executive we see you today and back tomorrow.
• 14:28
  Speaker 10: He said, these comes the dinner.
• 14:30
  Speaker 11: Very cool from l I say the name placement, yes, right, yeah, absolutely,
• 14:36
  Speaker 11: let me.
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: Can I flip the script because and this was this
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: was only supposed to be five minutes.
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: We're going for whatever.
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna put this on the adapting podcast because look,
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: we're at at an event where and I've talked about
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: this on my podcast before on Olex Scare Podcasting that
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: it's an adaptive event where kids with you know, with
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: disabilities and physical challenges, special needs, they get to shine.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: And that's the biggest part of this weekend. It's never
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: year and all these people behind the scenes. David, you
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: competed in this, I did. He was twenty one, me too,
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: so we were twenty one.
• 15:10
  Speaker 4: No, the doctors told me I would never walk, that
• 15:13
  Speaker 4: I would always be in.
• 15:14
  Speaker 11: A real starting two more and I was using I
• 15:17
  Speaker 11: was using a walker, and I ran my first race
• 15:20
  Speaker 11: here at the Empire State Game. So you know that's
• 15:24
  Speaker 11: something that you can never be never can be taken away. No,
• 15:28
  Speaker 11: not at all, And so you know that's that's something
• 15:32
  Speaker 11: I'm always very proud of.
• 15:33
  Speaker 3: Very well, Okay, let me flip the script.
• 15:36
  Speaker 4: I'm gonna this fee We're calling this. We're gonna call this.
• 15:39
  Speaker 4: Flip the script on Alex. All right, mom, Yes we
• 15:42
  Speaker 4: should so Alex. Yes, well, let's talk about.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: You and what the games have meant to you and uh,
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: like you guys about that, like you guys, the last
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: three years of kill me because it is a family.
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: And the minute I roll into this place family, Yes,
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: the minute I roll in you will remind me of
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: how much a family this is. I of course miss competing.
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: But you know what was funny is that after twenty ten,
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: well after I graduated VISCARTI, I started to say, well,
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: let me have other kids ever shot at this and
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: let me make way.
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: But then, as we mentioned, the state cut it, and
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: I'm like, all right, I can't not go back after
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: the station, after the county rescued it.
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: So there were a few times where I was like,
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: I'm not doing it, and then I did it till
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: I was twenty one, and I enjoyed all every minute
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: of it. But now to see the kids after, you know,
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: continue this tradition is very no.
• 16:28
  Speaker 11: It's so funny that Alix talks about the competition aspect
• 16:32
  Speaker 11: of it.
• 16:33
  Speaker 4: For me, I mean, I liked the races and all that,
• 16:36
  Speaker 4: but for me, it was never it was never about
• 16:39
  Speaker 4: the races. I was They called me the mayor. I
• 16:43
  Speaker 4: know it well, Cub was Mama pad, I ran blobb
• 16:46
  Speaker 4: and I say, I used to shake hands and kiss baby.
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: You know what.
• 16:52
  Speaker 10: Sam would be sore by the end of the first day.
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: Sure, sure, but yeah, and his head wouldn't fit in
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: the room. I'm sure right, yeah. Uh.
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: And one more update on the Jordan family and MoMA
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: Pat and the whole family. You were honored this April.
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: Tell me about that.
• 17:09
  Speaker 3: Well, they couldn't find anybody else, anybody else. I'm kidding no,
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: it's the truth.
• 17:17
  Speaker 10: It's the truth. My son Edward is working India now
• 17:20
  Speaker 10: and he might run say hello.
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: The thing is that I started.
• 17:24
  Speaker 10: Working with the games when they first started, and then
• 17:29
  Speaker 10: my children.
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: Jumped in, and then the grand children jumped in.
• 17:32
  Speaker 10: So we have three generations, all amazing volunteering at these games.
• 17:37
  Speaker 10: And it became such a part of our lives and the.
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: People because I saw when she was young, bir I mean.
• 17:44
  Speaker 10: Aaron is hello, second lieutenant.
• 17:46
  Speaker 3: In the United States Marines that it was first lieutenant.
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: I don't know, I think it's.
• 17:51
  Speaker 10: First, and then John Codwin, John Cobblin. It just became
• 17:54
  Speaker 10: a lieutenant JG. In the Navy, and the others of
• 17:59
  Speaker 10: Wolfish College. But they've wire resmarked to you.
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: Now we have the next group.
• 18:03
  Speaker 10: We call them the second Letter of great children who
• 18:06
  Speaker 10: were volunteering on the well today.
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: I don't think. I feel like you guys are too
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: humble to recognize the impact you made.
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: I mean, for a little backup there, Mama pat organized
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: every year up until two thousand and eight this Irish
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: physically challenged Irish American youth teams, and she organized a
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: trip for kids from Ireland with disabilities to compete on
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: our shores and then would have kids Americans go to
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: Ireland and compete.
• 18:33
  Speaker 3: Now, David, I never asked you were you part of this? Well,
• 18:35
  Speaker 3: I was using the fart. I was part of the
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: first Irish American program, which.
• 18:39
  Speaker 4: I don't believe you were in nold in at that.
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: Now, right, we wouldn't. I'll talk about that. But just
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: let me step back for a minute.
• 18:46
  Speaker 11: Because I made a joke, and I was just joking
• 18:48
  Speaker 11: that we couldn't find anything else because the Jordan's you
• 18:51
  Speaker 11: couldn't find any more selfless giving people.
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: How much of them I'm just kidding. I suppose hundred.
• 19:06
  Speaker 10: Trying to pay why the kids to sing with one
• 19:08
  Speaker 10: hundred dollars?
• 19:10
  Speaker 11: But no, seriously, it's and I'm not just I don't
• 19:13
  Speaker 11: want to just talk about the George, but I want
• 19:14
  Speaker 11: to talk about all our volunteers.
• 19:16
  Speaker 10: Right, we have the fantast most and our.
• 19:20
  Speaker 4: Committee heads that have been here with us from the beginning.
• 19:23
  Speaker 10: And they were and it's not just for the two
• 19:26
  Speaker 10: or three days we're here, No.
• 19:27
  Speaker 4: Right, it's all iron And let's talk about our special prizes.
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: People who gather prizes for.
• 19:35
  Speaker 11: George has been gathering George and Sandy have been gathering
• 19:38
  Speaker 11: prizes for the last three years, waiting.
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: For this date, and they would go on within it.
• 19:43
  Speaker 3: Now I don't know.
• 19:43
  Speaker 4: We've talked about and talk about the people like Chris, Sarah,
• 19:48
  Speaker 4: Chris and Rito and Ray and all these people and
• 19:54
  Speaker 4: and I'm missing so many.
• 19:56
  Speaker 10: But well, what it's great they have a core group
• 20:04
  Speaker 10: and without you.
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: That we couldn't do this. I'm asking a million dollar question.
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: Did you ever think of did you think the pandemic
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: would forever ruin this or did you think we would
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: come back?
• 20:13
  Speaker 10: Stra Well, we hoped it would come back, but it's
• 20:16
  Speaker 10: very hard to regroup. Yes, you lose a lot of evoluntieres.
• 20:22
  Speaker 10: I think I was only two years. Like everybody says,
• 20:24
  Speaker 10: go back to child all volunteers are all gone.
• 20:27
  Speaker 11: But you know what else say about the games that
• 20:30
  Speaker 11: I've said since I've been competing since I was seven
• 20:33
  Speaker 11: year old. And when I go and talk to volunteer
• 20:36
  Speaker 11: people that were trying to get the volunteer, I'll always say,
• 20:39
  Speaker 11: once you come to the games.
• 20:40
  Speaker 4: Once you're right, ok, you know we have people like
• 20:46
  Speaker 4: I'm going to name roup some more.
• 20:47
  Speaker 11: I know you tell me I shouldn't do this, but
• 20:49
  Speaker 11: we have people like Chuck Hellinggan and Bob Fogerty. They
• 20:54
  Speaker 11: used to work for the state, and Chuck still works
• 20:58
  Speaker 11: for the state, but they don't even get paid to
• 21:01
  Speaker 11: come here, and at one.
• 21:03
  Speaker 4: Point they weren't.
• 21:05
  Speaker 11: They're just taking vacation time and coming because it is
• 21:09
  Speaker 11: that sense of family and this is what we do.
• 21:13
  Speaker 4: So I didn't really have a concern that we weren't
• 21:15
  Speaker 4: going to come back in some form. I didn't know
• 21:17
  Speaker 4: what that form would look like. But like I said,
• 21:20
  Speaker 4: when you're hooked, you're hooked.
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: And God has brought us all three together here. I
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: swear to God right now.
• 21:25
  Speaker 10: And this woman great and well, we never see you anymore,
• 21:29
  Speaker 10: and you are one of my students. But we don't
• 21:31
  Speaker 10: see him, yeah, because he goes well because he's working in.
• 21:35
  Speaker 11: And can I just say about Alex real quick, he's
• 21:38
  Speaker 11: better on one roller blade then even if I.
• 21:42
  Speaker 3: Could walk, I'd be good on two feet. The man,
• 21:47
  Speaker 3: the man is a pro. He's got a.
• 21:49
  Speaker 4: Way better radio voice than I'll ever have.
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: Well, my voice is a bit story right now. So
• 21:54
  Speaker 3: maybe that's what you do.
• 21:55
  Speaker 4: These updates from the baseball sting.
• 21:57
  Speaker 3: Him and you, my friend, are doing great.
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: Work, and I just want to say that this pandemic
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: did not ruin the games and it's it's made us
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: stronger and brought us together and strong and really nothing
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: can break these games.
• 22:11
  Speaker 10: I swear to because they are so important to these children.
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: They are so important. And is our website? You might
• 22:18
  Speaker 3: know is our website people, because I believe you.
• 22:20
  Speaker 4: Can go to I believe there's a county website.
• 22:23
  Speaker 3: I don't know the exact address, but I know we're
• 22:25
  Speaker 3: on Facebook at uh And by the way, I asked
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: a County Victory Challenge was what it was? But the
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: Games for Physically Challenged, that's the name for this. I
• 22:32
  Speaker 3: know everywhere we are again. I know we're back to
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: the Game for Physically Challenge.
• 22:36
  Speaker 10: We had changed for a while because of monetary reason,
• 22:40
  Speaker 10: but we're right back there where we started out.
• 22:43
  Speaker 11: Well, listen, Mama Peck and I just say, what a
• 22:46
  Speaker 11: pleasure this has been to be with you, first of all,
• 22:50
  Speaker 11: but to be on Alex's podcast isn't that great? I
• 22:53
  Speaker 11: think we were like five minutes, Alex, what time are
• 22:57
  Speaker 11: we at? How long have we been ypping for?
• 22:59
  Speaker 3: I know I'm the raider guys supposed to maintain the clock.
• 23:01
  Speaker 3: But at this when I threw out the clock and
• 23:03
  Speaker 3: I said, let's do this. Not a good producer right now,
• 23:07
  Speaker 3: this is the best podcast I can make it, don't
• 23:09
  Speaker 3: we have?
• 23:10
  Speaker 12: Yeah?
• 23:10
  Speaker 4: We do.
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: Get out of here. We got I got the Ranger
• 23:15
  Speaker 3: on in thirty five minutes. What do I do?
• 23:17
  Speaker 11: I know this is for your abilities podcast, right adefinitily
• 23:21
  Speaker 11: adapted ability. But since the Rangers are going to be on,
• 23:25
  Speaker 11: what's your prediction Tonight's game in this island?
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: And I know we're right across from the coliseum where
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: the rain, where the aisles are no more. But I've
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: never been to ubs yet anyway, I think to Tampa
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: Bay Lightning tied up tonight.
• 23:39
  Speaker 3: I mean if they go, if the Rangers go up
• 23:41
  Speaker 3: to nothing.
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: I will be ecstatic, very firstly, but secondly stunned because
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: the Lightning are just they're so the Rangers are three,
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: and they're four and oh against this.
• 23:51
  Speaker 3: Team right now, regular season included. If they go six
• 23:54
  Speaker 3: to oh, they have a very chance, a good chance
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: to beat them. Sure, so I'd be surprisingly win six oh.
• 23:59
  Speaker 4: But hey, their home, Alex, you know what I'm doing
• 24:02
  Speaker 4: right now on them? Because you made that prediction.
• 24:04
  Speaker 3: You're not gonna, I said the lightning.
• 24:07
  Speaker 11: I'm gonna put one hundred dollars on the Rangers to
• 24:10
  Speaker 11: win the game. I'm gonna go on draft skiings right now,
• 24:13
  Speaker 11: do that, and I'm gonna put a wager on the game.
• 24:16
  Speaker 3: By the way, I feel like everything's better on now.
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: I mean, it's just crazy. It's insane to me.
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: And you know you're a Buffalo Saber fan. I'm sure right,
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: because oh absolutely so, we'll have you. Do you miss
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: Echel or was he No, we don't miss him.
• 24:32
  Speaker 11: Listen, I know that's not what this podcast is about,
• 24:34
  Speaker 11: but you've been to end me back on we talked sports.
• 24:36
  Speaker 3: He was not good for the locker.
• 24:38
  Speaker 2: Room I have.
• 24:39
  Speaker 3: And he did adapt dwell to Vegas either.
• 24:41
  Speaker 11: I know. No. Well, look, they didn't make it pass
• 24:43
  Speaker 11: the first they didn't even make the playoffs, right, he
• 24:46
  Speaker 11: just chose you a franchise that had everything together, start
• 24:49
  Speaker 11: to finish great from day one.
• 24:52
  Speaker 3: And they totally blew the whole thing up. And now
• 24:54
  Speaker 3: you look at Gerard.
• 24:55
  Speaker 11: Goalan, who was the Vegas Gold Night coach welcome to
• 24:58
  Speaker 11: the Finals, and then took him to this semi final.
• 25:01
  Speaker 4: No, now, coach of the Arrangers and the Rangers look
• 25:03
  Speaker 4: like they could be well on their way.
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: Well how about this, If you're not tired of this,
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: why don't you guys come back tomorrow and give me
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: a day to recap from the games.
• 25:10
  Speaker 3: I love that, I love it. I'll try.
• 25:13
  Speaker 4: She's got a wedding, a wedding, tomorrow's got a wedding.
• 25:16
  Speaker 10: So I believes people have the nerve to have the
• 25:19
  Speaker 10: wedding weekend of the games. How do they not know
• 25:22
  Speaker 10: because they don't realize the importance of this in all
• 25:24
  Speaker 10: of our lives. I might bring me as a date, right,
• 25:27
  Speaker 10: I might bring him as a date.
• 25:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I'll do for you tomorrow night.
• 25:31
  Speaker 4: Okay, what if I bring combos?
• 25:34
  Speaker 5: Oh?
• 25:34
  Speaker 3: He introduced me to combos this week? You know, no
• 25:38
  Speaker 3: combos is food. Oh yeah, the combos before.
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: Condo.
• 25:50
  Speaker 10: I never had them before any boy being put them
• 25:52
  Speaker 10: on my desk. Of course I had a desk this
• 25:55
  Speaker 10: year first on the thirty eighties.
• 25:57
  Speaker 3: Wow.
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Well, I'm Alex Scartt. It's been a pleasure and
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: we will definitely have you guys back.
• 26:03
  Speaker 3: If you're here tomorrow and wedding. Hello, thank you very much.
• 26:06
  Speaker 3: I'll love you both, and you guys mean a lot.
• 26:09
  Speaker 3: So thanks for being Thank you very much, thank you
• 26:12
  Speaker 3: for having me. You're welcome.
• 26:14
  Speaker 10: I'm Alie, appreciate the publicity. Sure games, Yes, Kenny, Yes,
• 26:20
  Speaker 10: good challenge, and.
• 26:21
  Speaker 3: I'm Alex S. Garrett and I always say well, we're
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: always adapting.
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: Now. A couple of other Viscardi alums I want to
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: get to right now. Katie Wegglekowski, a mainstay at the
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: Games forever, had this to say when I talked to
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: her five years ago on Alex Garrett's one on the
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: Up Network.
• 26:44
  Speaker 3: Any found memories you have of those games as well?
• 26:47
  Speaker 4: Oh my gosh.
• 26:48
  Speaker 13: Yes, I've been in a competitor drift like you for
• 26:51
  Speaker 13: many many years, and I have had so many wonderful
• 26:54
  Speaker 13: memories of being on the track and feels and playing
• 26:58
  Speaker 13: rich about the ball you and my other teammates, and
• 27:02
  Speaker 13: winning state championship. It it brings back some memories.
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: And if you see Katie, you probably see the next
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: guest I had on talk about the Games, Jessica Tambour,
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: and I want to get to her right now. Another
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: Viscardi alum who also opened up about the Games for
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: the physically challenge and what they meant.
• 27:22
  Speaker 3: And mean to her.
• 27:25
  Speaker 14: Since you were on the cover of the game's able paper,
• 27:28
  Speaker 14: which like a by the way, tell me what that
• 27:33
  Speaker 14: community is like to be there, nose and not only
• 27:35
  Speaker 14: as an athlete for the for the years you were
• 27:38
  Speaker 14: then there's a volunteer.
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: I mean, we've been doing that for twenty plus years now.
• 27:42
  Speaker 3: Mm hmm.
• 27:45
  Speaker 15: The Games is amazing because it let me like, it
• 27:49
  Speaker 15: allows me to be an athley like everyone else can.
• 27:53
  Speaker 15: And then now that I'm older, I can volunteer. I
• 27:56
  Speaker 15: ain't give it back to the younger kids show they
• 28:00
  Speaker 15: have the same experiences that I did oh.
• 28:06
  Speaker 10: School.
• 28:06
  Speaker 3: And then also.
• 28:10
  Speaker 15: It was an honor to be on the cover of Abel.
• 28:14
  Speaker 15: I wasn't really expecting that until happen. And then they
• 28:17
  Speaker 15: called me up and and I was like, really you
• 28:20
  Speaker 15: want me to do and they're like, yes, we think
• 28:25
  Speaker 15: but everyone I said, okay, and here's my story. And
• 28:32
  Speaker 15: then I showed it to my whole family and my
• 28:35
  Speaker 15: friend and you have all the games.
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: Was it sort of like the pipeline that we all
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: had through Muscardi or was it a different route or
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: how did you get.
• 28:43
  Speaker 3: Involved missus Garny?
• 28:45
  Speaker 15: You know, like I think I saw when I was like,
• 28:48
  Speaker 15: I have a picture of my dad like behind me
• 28:52
  Speaker 15: and I was on this like sea sort thing like
• 28:55
  Speaker 15: six years old. Yeah.
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: Now we have surprise guests tonight on the podcast, Gabby Pisani,
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: who you've probably seen around the Games with me over
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: the years as well.
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: What's the Games mean to you, baby?
• 29:11
  Speaker 3: They mean a lot, you know.
• 29:13
  Speaker 12: I used to do them for quite a few years
• 29:15
  Speaker 12: when I was a lot younger, and it just brings
• 29:17
  Speaker 12: so many people together showing support and showing appreciation for
• 29:22
  Speaker 12: athletics in our own way.
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: So there you have it. A lums.
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: The founder of the Games, Sue Gordon, Ryan, Mama Pat
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: Jordan Hu we all know in love and it was
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: great to see her Friday as well. And those who
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: cannot get on record or you know, maybe not wanted to,
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: but ed hebron Gott to give a shout out to
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: him and his dedication to the Games for now quarter
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: of a century, twenty five years and his family as well,
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: always showing up to support the kids. We cannot forget
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: my dad who was making this an event every year
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: from the age of when I was five. He made
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: sure to get us to the Games every year. Can't
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: forget the hostra folks that continue to support and how's
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: the athletes every single year? And I cannot forget Dominic
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: who continues to be at the Games. I saw Dominic
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: this Friday as well. So some pretty cool people still
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: around forty years later or earlier, you know, or thirty
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: years later, twenty five, They're still here no matter when
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: they joined the journey, they are still here and how
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: special is that? And of course can end this podcast
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: without saying forty years wouldn't have been possible if it
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: wasn't for the volunteer work of Jack and Carol Smith.
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: And we miss them dearly, very much so as they
• 31:01
  Speaker 2: were a mainstay for many years.
• 31:05
  Speaker 3: At the Games.
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: To physically Challenged and to the three county executives that
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: have continued to run for the game's last fifteen years
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: and Mangano, Laura Kerrn and Kerran County Executive Bruce Blakeman,
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: thank you for continuing that mantle, for carrying that torch
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: for the adaptive athletes, for the disabled athletes of Long Island,
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: New York City then the Tristate area.
• 31:37
  Speaker 2: We are ever.
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: Thankful that you have continued this run for the Games
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: physically Challenged, and of course cannot forget the memories of
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: the you know Irish kids that came over and competed
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: in that exchange program. That comes to mind as well
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: every year in the May and.
• 31:57
  Speaker 3: June, and that's that.
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: Hopefully we'll have more people to bring on and talk
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: about these games as we have hit forty years, forty
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: years strong. As I said, no matter what happened in
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty, forty years strong for the Games physically challenged,
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: and it's been a real honor to be part of that,
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: A real opportunity that opened up when I was five
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: years old, and it's so good good to see all
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: the other kids have that opportunity. Wow, am I gonna
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: say this really at twenty.
• 32:38
  Speaker 2: Eight years later?
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: And in the twenty eight years, I have to say,
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: though she was a little nervous, she was very supportive
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: as well.
• 32:50
  Speaker 2: My mom and my stepdad Vick, always setting.
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: Me up for success to head on the road with
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: my dad to these games with all the packing the
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: night before and you know, making sure we had all
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: the supplies ready to go for that weekend at the games.
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: I couldn't have done those weekends without them either. So
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: I want to give a shout out to my mom
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: and my stepdad Vic and to them for also storing
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: the medals that my friend Laura had saved up.
• 33:25
  Speaker 3: All the golds that I had won over the.
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: Years are still in our possession and proudly hanging in
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: my room in Queens and I think my mom and
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: my stepdad for keeping those safe as well, twenty eight
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: years in the making. I truly believe the Empires of
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: Games and NASA kind of games physically challenged have one
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: leg up for adaptive athletes in and around the Try
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: State are long lived.
• 34:00
  Speaker 3: The game