Special Olympics Pennsylvania announced that Annie Troyan, Associate Head Coach of the Pennsylvania State Women’s Basketball team, has been named honorary chair of the 2005 Special Olympics Pennsylvania Summer Games, set for June 9-12, at Penn State University in State College.
Steve Sheetz, Chairman of the Board for Sheetz, Inc. will serve as honorary co-chair.
“We are so pleased to have Annie Troyan and Steve Sheetz involved in the Summer Games,” said Janine Cesare, President of Special Olympics Pennsylvania. “We know they will have some inspirational thoughts to share with our 2,000 athletes and coaches alike, as they prepare for their largest competition of the year.”
“I\’m extremely honored to take on this position with Special Olympics. I\’ve been involved with this group for several years and it\’s a first-class organization that\’s truly in it for the athletes involved,” said Troyan. “Summer Games gives these athletes the chance to compete and show their sportsmanship. Everyone leaves happy and the Lady Lions and myself are proud to share in their successes.”
The upcoming 2005-06 women’s basketball season marks Troyan’s 19th season with Penn State. As associate women\’s basketball coach, Troyan works primarily with the guards, and has seen several of her players earn All-American honors for their play. Troyan has helped the Lady Lions to 21 NCAA appearances and five Big Ten titles (seven conference championships overall) during her tenure on the bench. The Lady Lions have reached the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament three out of the last four years, and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2004.
Last year, Penn State went a perfect 12-0 at home, including a 3-0 stretch in which Troyan acted as head coach, filling in for Rene Portland, who had taken a medical leave of absence. Troyan joined the women\’s basketball coaching staff in 1987 after a stellar college career also at Penn State. The first Lady Lion to make the assist an important statistic, Troyan finished her career with 632 assists, which currently ranks fifth all-time in the Penn State record books. Troyan was a first-team all-Atlantic 10 selection in 1983 while also wining the conference\’s scholar-athlete award that same season. That year, Troyan led the Lady Lions to the NCAA Tournament East Region Final, garnering first-team all-East Region honors.
Before returning to Penn State as a coach, Troyan taught at St. Katherine of Siena School and coached at Archbishop Carroll High School where she garnered a record of 50-31 in three years. Under her leadership, her team also captured the Southern division title in 1987.
Steve Sheetz, Chairman of the Board for Sheetz, Inc. will serve as honorary co-chair of the 36th annual Summer Games. This year, Sheetz, Inc. became the premier sponsor for the Summer Games.
“We receive more in return than we can possibly give,” said Sheetz. “Our employees enjoy volunteering and giving back to the community. In return, we are inspired by the athletes’ commitment and excitement to do their best.”
Steve has served in management of the Sheetz organization since its early beginnings in 1969. He served as President from 1984-1995 and then transitioned into his current role as Chairman of the Board, where he currently leads the company’s Creation and Reinvention initiative. In 2004, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Advocacy from the Blair County Chamber of Commerce. Steve is also the past president of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and the NACS Foundation for Education and Research. He also serves on the Boards of M& T Bank, Quik Trip Corporation, and Eat ‘N Park Restaurants. Sheetz, Inc. is the premiere sponsor of the 2005 Summer Games.
The 2005 Summer Games will bring together over 2,000 athletes and 700 coaches from across the state for three days of intense competition in aquatics, athletics, basketball, bowling, equestrian, golf, gymnastics, softball and tennis.
Preliminary Summer Games competition will begin today in athletics, basketball, golf, softball and aquatics. Activities for today will conclude with the traditional fanfare of opening ceremonies at Penn State’s Jeffrey Field, beginning at 7:15 p.m. On Friday, competition will begin in bowling, equestrian, gymnastics and tennis, with Saturday also featuring competition at most venues. Closing ceremonies and a victory dance for the athletes at the University’s Rec Hall will round out three days of vigorous competition on Saturday evening.
Special Olympics Pennsylvania provides year-round training and competition in 23 Olympic-type sports to more than 26,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
For more information about how SOPA inspires greatness, visit the web site at www.specialolympicspa.org. For more information about Summer Games, visit www.sopasummergames.org.
