Student hosts welcome young athletes to Cleveland

A good profile from the Cleveland Plain Dealer of a student volunteer for the annual Continental Cups, an annual international youth sports festival organized by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, a lead partner in CSEC, the host of Gay Games 9 in 2014.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Janna Pearson's experience studying abroad while in college makes her especially attuned to the estimated 500 international youth staying at John Carroll University for the International Youth Sports Festival this weekend. "I definitely want [the athletes] to see that America has a lot to offer and its culture," said Pearson, a host for the visiting athletes at the games, which end today.

While at Ashland University, Pearson studied abroad for six weeks in Mexico and for six months in Ecuador. She said she enjoyed exploring new cultures. Her eight years taking Spanish in school came in handy. And now she is translating what she learned into ways to help the visitors. "I want [the athletes] to have a really good time playing and exploring," she said. "It's like an adrenaline rush, knowing there could be an adventure lurking behind every corner."

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