News > March 6, 2008

By Chantel O'Neal | Staff writer

For third-year law student Jeff Wolfe, the much anticipated Spring Break will be a well-deserved hiatus from what has been a demanding year. Amid the demand of classes and closing of his final semester, Wolfe has been helping organize the upcoming Special Olympics North Carolina Basketball and Cheerleading Tournament.

The event is being held, for the first time, in Winston-Salem from March 7-9.

This tournament is one of six state-wide events held by Special Olympics North Carolina.

Approximately 1,000 athletes and 500 coaches from across the state will be participating in the various competitions.

Wolfe has spent the last six months making arrangements for the tournament and enlisting volunteers.

“It is just a matter of being efficient with your time. I took it as a challenge to figure out how to balance it,” Wolfe said.

“It has definitely been a busy year, but I think I’ve handled it all pretty well.”

Involved with Special Olympics for nearly two and a half years, Wolfe first offered to help with the 2005 Fall Games.

“I just remember thinking that this would be a great opportunity to get involved in the community,” Wolfe said.

Since that time, he has helped with six other state-wide games.

This year, he was offered the role of Volunteer Games Director.

Honored, Wolfe accepted the position and the number of responsibilities it entailed.

Most importantly, he oversees the Games Management Team, a group of 60 leadership volunteers.

Together they help supervise the competitions, as well as the other 500 volunteers that are needed.

“Jeff has been a key contributor in every step of the planning and preparation for this event,” Keith Fishburne, president and CEO of Special Olympics North Carolina, said.

“The time and effort he has put in over the last several months to ensuring this event is a success is a testament to his dedication to Special Olympic athletes.”

According to Wolfe, recruiting workers has been one of the most challenging tasks.

Volunteers help keep score, monitor the competitions and escort the athletes as the teams rotate on and off the courts.

As of now, there are only 250 volunteers, but others are welcome to show up during the tournament.

“If there are any students around, it would be a great opportunity for them to help,” Wolfe said.

However, it occurs during the beginning of the university’s Spring Break and many students will have already left.

While the students may be away enjoying their break, the university is assisting in other ways.

Various events take place on campus, including the opening ceremony, held in Wait Chapel and several competitions in Reynolds Gym.

Coach Dino Gaudio, head coach of men’s basketball, will be speaking at the opening ceremony.

Other famous faces, such as university sportscaster Stan Cotton and Naz-T Deacon will also be present.

“It is great to have Wake Forest supporting this. There have been a lot of people in the administration that have been really helpful and wanted to get as involved as they could,” Wolfe said.

As the tournament draws near, Wolfe anxiously waits to see the results of everyone’s hard work and effort.

Wolfe said that he enjoys working with Special Olympics, but the part that he looks forward to the most is yet to come.

“You walk into the gyms and the atmosphere is electric.”

“You look around and see how many people are volunteering their time to help, and you see the effort that the athletes are putting into the games. It is just something powerful to witness.”