Special Olympics Illinois athletes triumph in state basketball
tournament
Lincoln
Jaguars take 1st place
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[March 23, 2013]
NORMAL -- Special Olympics
Illinois crowned its state basketball champions at a tournament
March 15-17 at Illinois State University’s Horton Field House,
Normal, and Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center,
Bloomington. More than 1,600 athletes competed on 136 teams and in
individual skills competition at the tournament. View results at
http://www.soill.org/downloadfile.php?docID=4862.
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Athletes participated in five
categories of play and were placed in divisions within each
category, based on their age and skill level:
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Senior-male: 62
teams including at least one male player 16 years or older
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Female: 23
all-female teams with players 16 years or older
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High school: 34
teams with players of high school age
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Junior: 17 teams
including male and female players under the age of 16
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Individual skills:
About 265 athletes tested their abilities in dribbling, passing
and shooting.
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Young Athletes program: 11 young
athletes ages 6-7 demonstrated their individual skills.
To compete in the state tournament, athletes are required to
complete eight weeks of training. Senior-male and high school teams
qualified through district tournaments in the state.
As official partners of Special Olympics Illinois, the Illinois
Knights of Columbus and the Law Enforcement Torch Run were Gold
Medal sponsors of the basketball tournament. Special Olympics
Illinois partners with the Shirk Family Foundation in presenting the
annual state tournament.
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Special Olympics Illinois is a not-for-profit organization
offering year-round training and competition in 19 sports for more
than 21,300 athletes with intellectual disabilities and nearly
13,000 in the Young Athletes program for ages 2-7 with and without
intellectual disabilities.
Special Olympics changes lives by empowering people with
intellectual disabilities to realize their full potential in sports
and in life. Special Olympics programs enhance physical fitness,
motor skills, self-confidence, social skills, and encourage family
and community support.
To learn more about Special Olympics Illinois, to volunteer or
provide financial support to help make Special Olympics programs
possible, contact a local Special Olympics agency, call 800-394-0562
or visit www.soill.org.
[Text from file received from
Special Olympics Illinois] |