How RPI Delivers a Highlight of the Summer Sports Season, Again and Again

Student-run and always amazing. That’s the best way to describe our annual RPI basketball competition.

Every year, athletes, students, and fans gather at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s East Campus Athletic Village for one of the region’s best competitions of the year. When you hear the rubber thumping, the shoes squeaking, and the nylon swishing, you know what sport it is. Basketball!

“The event began back in 2016,” said Katie Paradise, RPI’s Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator. “It’s been one of our favorite events to host every spring on campus.”

This year, 10 teams from the Capital and North Country Regions competed in both traditional team and skills basketball competitions.

“[This is] our SAAC group’s biggest event,” said Katie (SAAC stands for “Student Athletic Advisory Committee”). “Over the years, we have drawn in all 23 athletic teams and created an unforgettable Opening Ceremonies tradition. Our student-athletes all gather in the gym and create a tunnel for the Special Olympics athletes to run through as a team and collect high fives, leading into the kickoff of the event.”

It’s truly an inspiring sight, and the energy remained high throughout the day. At this year’s event, for example, RPI’s women’s hockey team rooted on a close matchup between the Adirondack Tigers and Uncle Sam’s Slammers, high-fiving and six-sevening with athletes after every score.

“Our partnership with Special Olympics [began] in the fall of 2011,” Katie explained. “We aimed to enhance the lives of Division III student-athletes and Special Olympics athletes through a mutual learning experience by providing a platform for recognition of Special Olympics athletes within their communities.”

The result? An unforgettable competition for all involved.

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck approach by our student-athletes to raise the bar each year,” said Katie. “We really bring a lot of hype into the gym for this event.”

SHARE THIS: