FAIRFAX, Va. - As school began, in early September as a community service kick off for the 2010-2011 school year, the Mason Patriots decided to participate in the Dulles Day Plane Pull.

The Dulles Day Plane Pull is a benefit for Special Olympics Virginia; the pull is a fun team competition to see which group can pull a 164,000+ pound Airbus the fastest.  Teams are made up of 25 members, who all line up adjacent to a huge rope attached to the aircraft.  The event takes place at Dulles Airport; they shut down an entire portion of the tarmac for the plane pull. The event is more than just a plane pull; they also had a car show, aircraft displays and a Kids' Zone.

The Mason Patriot student-athlete body was out in full force, with over 60 student-athletes participating in this event. There were student-athletes from various teams such as Rowing, Track & Field, Wrestling, and Dance. The student-athletes were out helping in the Family Festival portion of this event.

Our student-athletes went out and participated with the Kids' Zone and helped with Concessions. The student-athletes enjoyed supervising and playing with the kids on slides, moon bounce and dunk tank. There were some student-athletes that helped out in concessions, where every dollar they made went to the Special Olympics of Virginia.

Many of the student-athletes enjoyed the opportunity to go out and participate in this event. Madison Beumer, from Rowing, said that she would like to participate in this event next year as well.