Bay State Games Inducts Four Into 2019 Hall of Fame Class

June 7, 2019

Wayland resident Yvonne Chern, Marblehead native and resident Beth Sopka, Brockton’s Orlando Vandross and Roxbury’s Charlie Titus join past MLB, NBA, NHL and Olympians with Bay State Games ties.

WOBURN – Assistant coach of the 2019 NCCA National Championship Basketball Team, Orlando Vandross, Vice Chancellor of Athletics and Recreation and long-term UMass Boston Men’s Basketball Coach, Charlie Titus, and longtime Badminton Co-Directors Yvonne Chern and Beth Sopka have been selected for induction into the 2019 Bay State Games’ Hall of Fame. All four inductees will receive their award at a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park on June 24 prior to the Red Sox game against the Chicago White Sox.

The Bay State Games Hall of Fame was created to recognize past participants who have gone on to prestigious and successful athletic careers, as well as former and current coaches, officials, sports organizers, and volunteers who have made significant contributions to the organization throughout its 38-year history. Past inductees among the over 60 previous honorees include the NBA’s Dana Barros (`06), Tom Thibodeau (’17) and the late Reggie Lewis (`02); WNBA’s Rebecca Lobo (’03), the NHL’s Bill Guerin (`09) and Keith Yandle (14); Major League Baseball’s Carlos Pena (`11) and Rich Hill (`13); Olympians Nancy Kerrigan (`07), Jim Pedro (’04) and Bill Cleary (`14) as well as US Paralympic Gold Medalist Joe Lemar (’15).

Yvonne Chern has served as a co-director of badminton for the Bay State Games tournament for over 15 years. She lives in Wayland, Massachusetts and has been influential in expanding badminton on the East Coast. With her husband, she created the Boston Badminton Club located in Westborough, Massachusetts, which held the first USA Badminton Team trials outside of California. Yvonne serves as the Vice President of both the Northeast Badminton Association, the Massachusetts Badminton Association, and is a former board member of USA Badminton.

Beth Sopka helped initiate badminton into the Bay State Games and has served as a co-director for over 15 years. Sopka lived in Marblehead, Massachusetts where her love for badminton began while playing with her son. In 1996, she started the New England Junior Cup and in 1997 co-founded the North Shore Junior Badminton Association. She’s been President of the Massachusetts Badminton Association for nearly 20 years as well as Vice President of the Northeast Badminton Association since 2016.

Orlando Vandross grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts and competed in the Bay State Games playing basketball. Vandross played for Brockton High School and was inducted to their Hall of Fame in 2003. After playing throughout college at American International College in Springfield, he coached the 1996 Bay State Games Coastal Region Men’s Basketball team. He moved on to coach at Boston University and UNC Charlotte until 2015. Vandross now is an Assistant Coach for the University of Virginia’s Men’s Basketball team, which won their first NCAA National Championship title in 2019.

Charlie Titus has been on the board of directors for Bay State Games for over 25 years where he has made significant contributions by hosting events at UMass Boston facilities since the mid 1980’s. He currently lives and grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He played basketball at Boston Technical High School and at Saint Michael’s College, where he was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999. Titus was the first and only head coach of the UMass Boston Men’s Basketball team until 2015 when he took over as Vice Chancellor of Athletics and Recreation. Titus was recently inducted to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame for his honorable contributions.

For more information on the Hall of Fame, go to www.baystategames.org/hall-of-fame

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Bay State Games Awarded a B.A.A. Gives Back Grant

November 24, 2025

Fall edition of the B.A.A. Gives Back Grant Program awards $125,000 to local non-profit organizations

Bay State Games Announces 2025 Future Leaders Scholarship Recipients

November 18, 2025

The Bay State Games has selected six statewide scholarship recipients for the 2025 Future Leaders Scholarship Program. These student-athletes were selected from a large applicant pool after a process that included committee reviews of all applications and virtual interviews with selected applicants. These future leaders were selected based on their achievements and involvement in academics, community service, athletics, and leadership roles. The Bay State Games Future Leaders Scholarship program was established in 1989 and has since distributed nearly $400,000 in financial aid. Each of these high school seniors will receive a $1,000 scholarship for their first year of college. “Bay State Games is proud to continue the Future Leaders Scholarship program which since 1989 has provided over $400,000 in aid to support the continuing education of outstanding young leaders." said Kevin Cummings, Executive Director of the Bay State Games. “These well deserving student-athletes have excelled in the classroom, on the field and in the community, representing a variety of schools, sports and regions across Massachusetts” This year’s six scholarship recipients are Elyse Bissada, Brooke Blahut, Abigail Howie, Olivia Laaper, Sabina Mackechnie, Molly McIntyre. Elyse Bissada is a senior at Dover-Sherborn High School, where she is a four-year varsity field hockey and track & field athlete, as well as the team captain for both sports. In 2025, Elyse was a member of the Bay State Games Southeast field hockey team where she won a gold medal. Elyse is the founder of the Veterinary Medicine Club at her school and in her free time volunteers at local farms and Animal Rescue Leagues across the state. Elyse has committed to play field hockey and study biology at Hamilton College, where she plans to pursue veterinary medicine and ultimately establish an affordable low-cost clinic that serves her community. Brooke Blahut is a senior at North Quincy High School where she is a 4-year varsity member of the soccer team, and captain of the varsity ice hockey team. Brooke is also a well accomplished figure skater. She began skating at age 2 at Winterland Skating School and is now a U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist. Brooke has participated in Bay State Games annually since 2016, medaled 6 times, and is a 4-year Bay State Games High School Ambassador. Brooke is also the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Ambassador for NQHS. Brooke is Vice President of her class, a member of the National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society and academically ranks in the top 5% of her class with a 4.6 GPA. Brooke is a two-time team leader and participant in the FBI Teen Leadership Academy and plans to pursue her master’s in forensic science and criminology and become an FBI Special Agent. Abigail Howie is a senior at Wilmington High School, where she is on the varsity soccer team and is captain of the Winter and Spring Track teams. Abigail serves as President of Student Council and the Wildcat Service Council, where she founded the “Bridging Generations” community initiative. She is a member of the National Honor Society, DECA, and Best Buddies. Abigail coaches a Wilmington fourth-grade team and is a USSF-certified soccer referee. She has most recently created an Alzheimer's Awareness community service project for her senior year. She hopes to continue her athletic career in college while studying sports management and marketing. Olivia Laaper resides in Stow and is a senior at Fusion Academy in Burlington. Laaper has been a captain of multiple high school sports teams including Track & Field and Swimming. Olivia is captain of her archery team at Riverside Archers and has won multiple medals in archery at Bay State Games and state competitions. Beyond athletics, Olivia has gained hands-on experience in emergency medicine as a high school intern with Pro EMS and plans to take her EMT certification this fall. She gives back to her community by lifeguarding and coaching youth swimming at Goldfish Swim School, volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and at local food banks. In college, Olivia plans to pursue a degree in nursing with a minor in emergency medicine and psychology. Sabina Mackechnie is a senior at East Longmeadow High School where she is a three sport athlete and captain in Soccer, Basketball and Lacrosse. She has earned all-league and second-team All-Western Mass honors in soccer and lacrosse. Sabina has been a By State Games Ambassador for two years and is a member of her school's Athletic Leadership Council and Pink Ribbon Club. Sabina participates in canned food drives and fundraisers for her school sports teams. Sabina will continue her lacrosse career at Springfield College while pursuing a degree in Education. Molly McIntyre is a senior at Norton High School where she is a three-sport captain in cross country, basketball, and outdoor track, earning multiple TVL All-Star honors, and MVP awards. Molly serves in key leadership roles on Student Council, DECA, Best Buddies, and five National Honor Societies. She volunteers at local youth sports programs, community events, and the MSG Gregory Trent Foundation. Molly works part-time at a donut shop and local ice cream store. She plans on attending Stonehill College where she will compete in track and study Finance and Marketing. For more information on the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, click here. For a list of past recipients and the colleges and universities they've attended, click here . About the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation/Bay State Games The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was established in 1982 to host the first sanctioned state games of the Commonwealth. It operates with the mission of promoting personal development, education, physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship to Massachusetts citizens of all ages and abilities. The Foundation is recognized for hosting high quality, Olympic-style events through the Bay State Summer and Winter Games, as well as educational programs, including the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, and the High School Ambassador Program.