Throughout the winter, two Belmont Hill boys, Sam Leviton ’28 and Patrick Snail ’28 have coached the Belmont/Watertown Special Olympics Floorball team. On February 7th, the team scrimmaged with Bruins players Coal Koepke and Mark Kastelic at the Beech Street Center.
Right after the game, the players were pulled aside for interviews by Channel 5 News and the Bruins media team, who had been filming the entire event. At six o’clock that night, Channel 5 broadcasted a report which included both Belmont Hill boys for their few moments of fame. Aside from Channel 5, the boys were also featured in a Bruins Instagram post racking up over five thousand likes.
Since the fall of 2023, Belmont Hill has hosted a program for students and teachers to volunteer coach, and referee Special Olympics teams. Many students have volunteered with the Belmont/Watertown S.P.O.R.T. program in sports such as flag football, swimming, and track. Volunteers get the chance to meet and befriend many athletes, most of whom participate in multiple sports over the year. Floorball is similar to floor hockey; however, there is no contact, and the athletes use slightly different sticks and balls to play.
Immediately once the Bruins players entered, the room erupted with excited athletes and parents. Koepke reflected upon this moment, stating that “it was electric the moment we walked in and that energy just continued throughout the game.” Once everyone settled down, the team split in half, with Koepke joining the team coached by Sam, and Kastelic joining the team coached by Patrick.
From the puck drop, the teams engaged in a high-scoring and chaotic contest. Within a few minutes, Kastelic’s team struck first, scoring three unanswered goals before Koepke’s team responded with two of their own.
Then, the Bruins mascot, Blades, arrived, initiating another eruption among the athletes, and joined forces with Koepke, immediately causing controversy by interfering with the Kastelic team’s goalie, an athlete named Blaze, leading to a goal that was eventually called back after discussion.
As the game progressed, both Koepke and Kastelic tucked in a goal of their own. In the last few minutes of the game, Koepke’s team was leading 7-6, and, despite their last-minute efforts, Kastelic’s squad could not muster a late comeback.
Postgame, the Bruins awarded each athlete with a gift bag, including a poster, a hat, a towel, two bracelets, a puck, a pencil, and an activity book. Each athlete took a photo with the players and Blades, and Koepke and Kastelic signed jerseys and items to the requests of the athletes. To cap off the event, athletes, coaches, and the Bruins players posed for a final group photo.
In addition to these professional media teams, the boys were able to talk with the players during and after the game. When the Belmont Hill boys asked about his experience, Coal Koepke smiled and stated, “It’s amazing for us to be able to get out into the community and meet these awesome athletes. It’s just a little thing that goes a long way, and I am glad that the Belmont/Watertown S.P.O.R.T. could invite Mark [Kastelic] and myself, and all the volunteers that helped to make this all possible.” Although there were moments of competitiveness, he admitted that “it was a lot of fun for Mark and me, hopefully just as much as it is for the athletes. Overall, just truly a wonderful experience.”