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The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, scheduled for June 5-12, 2022 in Orlando, Florida, will unite more than 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the Caribbean during one of the country’s most cherished sporting events – the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.
The Games will offer 19 Olympic-style team and individual sports, including athletics (track & field), basketball, bocce, bowling, cheerleading, equestrian, flag football, golf, gymnastics, open water swimming, powerlifting, soccer, softball, stand up paddleboard, surfing, swimming, tennis, triathlon and volleyball. For over 50 years, Special Olympics has been empowering athletes and encouraging a more inclusive world for those with intellectual disabilities and beyond. Ahead of this exciting time, we spoke to Sarah Grubb to find out some behind the scenes information, and more about the 2022 games.
Honestly I feel like it is still present in our lives, but it is so lovely to be doing real live in person events again!
I actually studied on an exchange at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney in 2000 when the Olympics were on. It was just being in the right place with the right experience at the right time. Once you get bit by the “Ceremonies Bug”, it’s hard to stop working on the big shows!
I am currently responsible for the delivery of the Broadcast Events for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games including Opening & Closing Ceremony and another small broadcast event. I am working with Disney Live Entertainment (DLE) on these productions. In the past, I was usually on the Production Company side, so this is definitely different for me. But working with DLE has been fabulous. I am certainly a different kind of client for them I am sure since I am usually in their shoes!
I don’t want to reveal too much about the ceremonies, but the Opening will be held at Orlando City’s Soccer Stadium, Exploria Stadium, in downtown Orlando on Sun June 5. It will be broadcast on ABC on that same day. I personally can’t wait for everyone to see our Cauldron and of course, so special guests. The athletes are going to have a blast.
I am also looking after the ESPN Special Olympics Executive Unified Challenge at the Stadium at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports on Mon June 6. It is where Special Olympic Athletes, Corporate Sponsors and Celebrities compete together in a relay style race. It should be very fast paced and fun!
For Closing Ceremony, we just want to make sure the Athletes can celebrate all of their successes, so it will be a great big party!!!
This is always so hard for me. Each show I worked on has certain things I loved about it, along with things I didn’t love. But I do think that the Opening of the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan definitely had some spectacular achievements. I always talk about how the creative presentation I saw a whole year before the show was essentially exactly what we delivered on the night. That never happens, and I don’t think I was ever more proud of our achievement, including my whole team’s contribution to the success.
I would without a doubt name the 2010 Commonwealth Games Ceremonies in Delhi as the most challenging show I ever worked on. Working in India was difficult, lots of our team got dengue fever, everything was late, it rained way too much, we barely had any power… honestly I could go on and on about all of the issues we had there.
But I would never change that experience for anything. I learned so much and particularly got a great perspective on how to do things slightly differently.
We had a show in the end even though there were plenty of times I never thought we would get there.
I would probably tell my younger self to not sweat the small stuff and remember to have some down time! In the height of all my living out of a suitcase life, I tended to do too much work in case I wasn’t able to line up something right away. As I got a bit older, I made sure I took long breaks in between gigs and enjoyed the downtime immensely.
You need time to reset when you work on a show like this. And when I say time off, I mean TIME OFF. Like barely any internet access, laying on a beach for like 4 weeks kind of break. Bliss.
That being said, I have no idea what I am doing after this. I think COVID taught me that plans could change at any moment, so I will hopefully have a bit of a break before I start to think about the next project.
We definitely need help on the Ceremonies and other events. We are looking for volunteer stage managers, event managers & production assistants to help out on many of our events including the Ceremonies.
If you are currently studying or just an industry worker looking for an amazing way to give back, this is a great opportunity to get some real world experience while working with some of the most inspiring Athletes you will ever see. Plus you will be working alongside some very seasoned professionals!
Check out the website below and you can sign up specifically to help with Special Events. Be sure to mention my name and this article so your application gets directly to me:
https://www.2022specialolympicsusagames.org/get-involved/volunteer-information
It will be a fabulous time!
There are other ways to help out – March is the Month of Giving for Jersey Mikes. The video explains the specifics, along with our big day on 30 March.
Links:
Accessibility At The Smith Center Series: Part One
James “Fitz” FitzSimmons Interview: The Boys In The Band On Netflix
Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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