9th Annual Springfield College Sports and Social Justice Symposium

Fri, 04/05/2024 - 12:00

By: Damon Markiewicz

The 9th Annual Sports and Social Justice Symposium at Springfield College took place on Friday, April 5, 2024. This year’s event celebrated the College’s robust relationship with Team IMPACT: a nonprofit organization that pairs children with life-threatening illnesses with a college sports team. This event was presented by the Division of Inclusion and Community Engagement and supported by the Dr. Tom Waddell ’59 Fund.

Springfield College has been a leading participant in this organization for more than a decade. Speakers at this year’s program included one of the organization’s co-founders, Kris Herman of Williams College; Amy VanRyn, G'05, a Springfield College graduate who is the organization’s national director of programs; and Springfield College student-athlete Chris Rouleau, Class of 2025, who has spearheaded a powerful partnership with a Team IMPACT child and the men’s volleyball team.

Since 2013, Springfield College has partnered with Team IMPACT to give children with life-threatening and chronic illnesses an opportunity to be a part of teams on campus. 22 children have been “drafted” to many of the athletic teams on campus, including: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s volleyball and wrestling teams.

The partnership typically involves the child becoming an honorary team member, attending practices and games and forming strong bonds with the student-athletes and coaching staff. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, as the children gain a support system and a positive experience, while the student-athletes and the college community benefit from the inspiration and perspective the children bring.

In 2021, Team IMPACT announced an enhanced partnership with Springfield College that will position the athletic programs on Alden Street as a model for athletic programs around the country. The partnership is centered around each organizations' core values and mission: promoting empathy, resilience, camaraderie and excellence, while providing a student-athlete development experience that is centered in Springfield College's Humanics philosophy of educating the whole person in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others. At the time of the announcement, Springfield College was the first Division III institution in the country and the first institution in the Northeast to sign on to the expanded partnership.

Tom Waddell ’59 Leveling the Playing Field Award

In addition, Springfield College student-athlete Chris Rouleau, Class of 2025, was recognized with the Tom Waddell Leveling the Playing Field Award. Waddell ’59 is a Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame member who devoted his life to issues of social justice. This annual award goes to a student-athlete or athletes who have worked diligently to build a fairer and more just world.

History of Sports and Social Justice Symposium

In 2015, the Sports and Social Justice Symposium was initiated after Springfield College celebrated “Tom Waddell Day,” festivities that paid homage to Waddell’s life and commitment to Humanics and diversity.

As part of the celebration in 2015, there was a film tribute featuring Waddell’s famous interview on ABC’s 20/20, a panel discussion led by his contemporaries, and the dedication of a plaque commemorating Waddell’s humanitarian contributions, including the creation of the Gay Games. Delivering the keynote address was Springfield College graduate Rob Kearney ’13, G’15, a strongman champion and the first openly gay man to actively compete in his sport at the international level.

Joining Kearney for the festivities were Jeffry Pike, a member of the Federation of the Gay Games, Waddell classmates from the Class of 1959 Jack Savoia, Tom Johnson, Owen Houghton, Springfield College faculty members Mimi Murray’61, G’67, Rick Paar, and the founder of the Springfield College Tom Waddell Fund Phyllis Plotnick.

Waddell, who passed away in 1987, was an outstanding athlete, excelling in track and field, gymnastics, and football as a student at the College. Waddell is best known as the founder of the Gay Games, started in 1982 and held every four years since. The Gay Games welcomes more than 8,000 athletes—regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender identity, religion, sex, ethnic origin, athletic ability, or political beliefs—from 47 countries to compete in an inclusive environment.

Waddell represented the United States in the decathlon in the 1968 summer Olympics, where he placed sixth. He also was an infectious disease specialist and provided medical service for many years in Africa, Asia, and Saudi Arabia, and served in the U.S. Army. He was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.

Supported by the Dr. Tom Waddell ’59 Fund. For more information on the fund, or to make a gift, visit springfield.edu/giving.