World Sport Chicago Scholarship Welcomes 56 New Students
By Stephanie Miller (WSC Staff)
Amid blindfolds and goalballs on a gym court outlined with raised tape, the Class of 2011 World Sport Chicago Scholars met each other for the first time. The 56 newest World Sport Chicago Scholars were invited to the 2011 Scholarship Meet and Greet, held at Chase Park on March 13th. There they met fellow WSC Scholars, listened to testimonials from last year’s scholarship recipients and learned how to play Goalball, a Paralympic sport for individuals with visual disabilities.
Only one WSC Scholar, Monique Ramirez, was an experienced Goalball player; she, along with Daniel Tun from the Chicago Park District and Pam Redding, WSC’s Director of Palympic and Disability Sport, introduced Goalball to the student-athletes who were eager to try a new sport. Students were grouped into teams of three and were all given blindfolds. They spread out on the gym floor, which was outlined with string and covered with duct tape and familiarized themselves with the court by feeling for the raised boundaries. One player then took the goalball, which is a denser version of a dodgeball that has bells in it and rolled it underhand toward the opposing team’s goal. The opposing team then determined the location of the ball by listening for the bells and dove onto the gym floor, landing on their sides and extending their arms and legs to stop the ball from passing into the goal. In a short time, the students were strategizing with their teammates, increasing the speed of their throws and getting to know students from different sports, schools and neighborhoods.
The Meet and Greet was the first event for the World Sport Chicago Scholars, who will receive Kaplan ACT tutoring, Chicago Scholars mentoring and the opportunity to receive one of 16 renewable college scholarships worth up to $10,000 annually ($40,000 total), supported by the MacArthur Foundation. Like the inaugural class of scholars, the 2011 WSC Scholars represent the diversity of Chicago; they play 20 different Olympic and Paralympic sports, attend 31 public, private and parochial high schools and reside in over 30 Chicago neighborhoods. Over the next year, the students will get to know each other well, as they attend future athletic events and educational workshops. Students and their adult mentors will be guided through the college application process and learn how to find colleges that are a good match/fit, how to write a college essay and how to successfully interview. The highlight of the program is the Onsite Admissions Forum in October, where students will have the opportunity to meet with admissions representatives from over 50 colleges and universities and may receive acceptances/financial aid awards on the spot. The 2010 WSC Scholars recently received their final college decisions; WSC Scholars have received acceptances from Baylor, Knox College, Yale, Northwestern, University of Chicago, Lewis University, Harvard, St. Louis University, Connecticut College, Northern Illinois University, University of Illinois, and many others. World Sport Chicago is eager to provide the same programming and opportunities for the 2011 WSC Scholars and look forward to helping them achieve their athletic and academic potential.