ISU, IWU host Illinois Special Olympians striving to achieve their hoop dreams

Posted on March 17, 2018
Basketball
Hundreds of athletes and coaches are taking part this weekend in the Special Olympics state basketball tournament at ISU’s Horton Field House and IWU’s Shirk Center.
(Photo by slgckgc/flickr)

By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – While Peoria hosts the original March Madness, Bloomington-Normal is where hundreds of Illinois Special Olympians will see their hoop dreams come true this weekend.

More than 1,700 athletes and 650 coaches have come for the Special Olympics state basketball tournament, to be held at Illinois State University’s Horton Field House and Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center.

Athletes compete for medals in the junior, high school, female, and senior/male categories. There are also young athlete and individual skills competitions.

“There are no more than four teams in each division. For example, our senior/male division has 17 divisions in it, so there are 17 different tournaments going on within that one category,” said organizer Nate Henry, appearing Friday on WJBC’s Afternoon Report.

Henry said fans attending the event will be impressed by the competition and quality of play. Athletes at the senior/male and high school level had to qualify in district tournaments.

“There is no less joy in winning ‘junior level one’ than there is in ‘senior 17, and you’ll see it if you come out to our tournament,” said Henry.

“They’re competing, and like they said, ‘let me win, and if I can not win, let me be brave in the attempt,’ and honestly they live it,” Henry also said.

Tournaments started Friday and run through Sunday at 1 p.m. The opening ceremony is Saturday at 7 p.m., and will last about 30 minutes.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…