Wertz Warriors - Who We Are

The Wertz Warriors...one man's dream transformed into reality
Vic Wertz, a former Detroit Tiger and Hall of Fame'r, had a dream, "to completely underwrite the Special Olympics Michigan State Winter Games." So, in 1981 he set out and succeeded to enlist many of his friends to help him with his dream. Together they considered a variety of ways to generate the money needed to fund the Winter Games for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in Michigan.

After considering many alternatives, they contacted the Special Olympics Michigan (SOMI).

At first Vic and his "staff" considered rolling beer barrels from Mount Clemens, MI to Milwaukee, WI, the home of Miller Brewing Company. Realizing that the distance and the weather would be too much to overcome, they decided that instead they would use the weather and the time of year to accomplish their goal...leaving the distance as the formidable challenge to overcome. The idea of the snowmobile ride from Mount Clemens to Mackinaw City was born, and the Wertz Warriors became a reality.

If ever one could recite the chant "rich man, poor man, beggarman, ...doctor, lawyer, Indian chief" it is when describing the backgrounds of the Warriors. People from all walks of life come together to make up the Wertz Warriors whether as a rider or as a member of the support crew. And they are all welcome for there are many jobs to perform just to support the riders--fuel trucks, mechanics with tools and spare parts, medical personnel, semi-truck drivers to haul the machines, a snowmobile headquarters, memorabilia sales personnel, and countless numbers of vendors who donate time, money and supplies to make the ride a reality. These volunteers join hands to put smiles on the faces of the Special Olympics athletes.

The Wertz Warriors have grown from a modest size of 31 riders and 15 support crew to nearly 60 riders and 30 support crew--almost 100 people!