Sept. 2, 2013
Jonathan Toman
[email protected]
The UCCS volleyball team was in action during the summer break, but their opponent was not a usual suspect. It was not Metro State, Regis or even Fort Lewis.
It was a plane.
As part of the inaugural Special Olympics Colorado Plane Pull on Aug. 10, the team went to Denver International Airport and took part in a plane-pulling competition.
Their opponent: a Boeing 757 FedEx plane that weighed in at 164,000 lbs., as well as 47 other plane-pulling teams.
The Mountain Lions helped to pull the plane 12 feet in 7.6 seconds with what was a “tug of war rope basically,” according to senior libero Heather Sanders.
“It was seriously one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” said sophomore outside hitter Jordan Banich. “It’s amazing to see how many people are willing and open to help.”
Prior to the plane pull, the Mountain Lions raised more than $1,900, all of which will go toward supporting Colorado Special Olympics.
In addition to raising the money, the team also won the award for most team spirit at the event.