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Opening Ceremonies
Sunday, 6:45-8:30 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
Please join us at the Deerfield High School Track for the 27th annual NJDC Games Opening Ceremonies!
The event will be kicked off with music provided by the Navy Band Great Lakes. McKinlock Post 264 American Legion Color Guard and U.S. Paralympians and Coaches will then be leading the Parade of Athletes around the track.
The legendary Chet Coppock is co-emceeing Opening Ceremonies. In his television career on several major networks he has held the roles of sports reporter, sports anchor, as well as host of his own sports shows. His is known as the “Godfather of Sports Talk Radio” as he created the first on-air magazine formatted radio sports show. He also hosted the pre-game, half-time and post-game show for the Chicago Bulls Radio Network. Currently Chet hosts Notre Dame’s pre- and post-games on WLS-AM, writes a daily sports blog and has just released a new book, Fat Guys Shouldn’t Be Dancing At Half-Time.
Katy Sullivan is singing the National Anthem. She is a bilateral above knee amputee who is an actress and athlete who lives in Los Angeles. She grew up on the stage and received a BFA in acting from Webster University’s Conservatory. She worked in many theatres in Chicago, and most recently appeared in THE LONG RED ROAD at the Goodman Theatre directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, before making the journey west to try her luck at TV and film. She has appeared in numerous television shows and independent films including a documentary that chronicles her quest to make the US Paralympic Track team. She is probably best known for her character on NBC’s MY NAME IS EARL. She became a member of the US Paralympic Track team in 2007 and continues to compete in track. Katy is also the Patient Advocate for Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics.
The world-famous Jesse White Tumbling Team will also be performing during the Opening Ceremonies. The team was created by Illinois' Secretary of State Jesse White in 1959 as a juvenile delinquency prevention program to provide a recreational, athletic, educational, and cultural experience to the team members. They have appeared on in two Presidential Inaugural Parades, on Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show starring Jay Leno, Good Morning America, The Jenny Jones Show, Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse Club, CBS’ How’d They Do That, and in the movies Heaven is a Playground, Ferris Buehler’s Day Off, and The Meteor Man. Come check out their high-energy performance!
Immediately following the Opening Ceremonies there will be a meet-and-greet session with the Paralympians back in the lobby of the Hyatt Deerfield. Be sure to bring your autograph books and cameras!