ODS Player, Tripp Phillips, has Dream Weekend with George Washington University's Women's Soccer and Men's Basketball Teams

Written by: Nanci Sundel Posted on: March 22, 2024 Tagged: Dream on 3, GWU, Autism, Open Door Sports, Special Needs Children, ODS, Dream experience Blog: News

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Tripp Phillips, an Open Door Sports player, was treated to a dream weekend with The George Washington University’s Women’s Soccer and Men’s Basketball Teams January 26 - 28, 2024 through Dream On 3. It was planned and executed by a Dream On 3 Collegiate Dream Team (CDT) which is comprised of college students, in this case from George Washington University, who take the lead to make a sports dream come true.

On Friday Tripp was greeted at school by the CDT, with his classmates rallying around him. After the exciting kickoff, they took him to downtown DC to explore the monuments before attending the GWU Women’s Soccer practice to cheer on GWU CDT members, watch from the sidelines with the coaches and stretch with the players afterwards. Next stop was dinner at Sequoia at Washington Harbor for a fancy meal – and a massive milkshake for Tripp.

Saturday they headed to Pinstripes where Tripp showed off his bowling skills. Next stop was the GWU Men’s Basketball pre-game shoot around where Tripp helped coach the drills and pass the balls to players. Tripp was recognized at the game as part of the starting lineup and walked the court with the team! The CDT was recognized at the game for all of their hard work planning the weekend at which time Tripp joined them on the court again.

On the last morning Tripp had a big breakfast that included Dream Kid Alumni and friend, Anderson Jones – another Open Door Sports player.

Per Tripp, “My Dream on 3 experience was AWESOME. I got to hang out with some of the top athletes at GW! I did a monument walk with Tim's baseball buddies, rode the assault bike at Kelly's soccer practice, threw out passes to the basketball players during their game day drills and had the BIGGEST milkshake of my life!”

Christy Phillips, Tripp’s mother said “We are extremely grateful to Dream On 3 and the GW Collegiate Dream Team for the Dream Weekend Tripp recently experienced at George Washington University. Seeing him experience his dream of spending time with such a passionate and compassionate group of student athletes, coaches, trainers, staff, and everyone involved, was an unforgettable experience not only for him but for us as well. The interactions with the student athletes and staff, and the special recognition he received at the various events he attended, especially the GW basketball game, were very impactful in terms of his confidence and development of skills that don’t come as easily to him as to others. The experiences he had, and the memories made, will last a lifetime.”

Per Kelly Poole of the CDT team, "Tripp's dream weekend was incredible. I'm so grateful to have been a part of something so special. It was amazing to see Tripp flourish and become more confident while living out his dream of being a GW athlete."

ODS continues to partner with the Dream On 3 Organization and looks forward to recommending even more ODS athletes for this amazing experience.