Known as "Mo Magic," the 11-members of the Missouri Special Olympics volleyball team returned home with the bronze medal after a multi-day competition in Princeton, N.J., as part of the Special Olympics U.S.A. National Games.
Representing Jefferson City on the Missouri Volleyball team were: Jean Buersmeyer and George Richardson. Curt Yaeger, a former Jefferson City High School varsity volleyball coach, led the team from the sidelines.
The experience for these athletes to compete on the national stage "was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a truly magical experience," according to Brandon Schatsiek, Missouri Special Olympics public relations coordinator.
"Many of our athletes may never have been able to experience anything similar to this in their lifetime without going to the USA games, and many who may never do it again," Schatsiek said. "We are very proud to be able to afford this great opportunity to our many athletes from Missouri."
Outside of the competition, the athletes also enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Hudson River and a trip to see the Statue of Liberty.
"Everyone had a blast," Schatsiek said.
Missouri's team entered the preliminary round of competition June 16, competing against other state teams to determine divisions of matched skill levels. After the preliminary competitions, Missouri emerged as the top-seed in their division and entered the round-robin tournament facing state teams from Colorado, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
According to the Missouri Special Olympics website, the next morning provided the Missouri team its first taste of victory, beating Pennsylvania and Colorado in three sets. In the afternoon portion, the team continued on its winning ways beating Pennsylvania again in two sets. The final game of the day ended with a close three-set loss to Colorado.
Early morning jitters were blamed in the second round as Missouri lost their first game of the day to the host New Jersey. The team rebounded and chalked up wins with victories over Colorado and Pennsylvania.
In the final day of competition, the team lost a semi-final to New Jersey. In the bronze medal game, the Missouri team faced off against a very familiar opponent - the Pennsylvania team.
After a slow start and losing the first set, Missouri took the next two sets to win the bronze medal.
Schatsiek said the Missouri Special Olympics was proud of all the athletes representing Missouri in the competitions.
"We do not keep an overall medal count, instead we celebrate every athlete's achievement," Schatsiek said. "We are happy to see our athletes compete."