A special day in Lincoln for Special Olympians

[November 09, 2009]  They came in all sizes, from very tall to very small, from lean to not so thin. They were boys and girls, men and women, all with the same passion: to compete, to play and to have fun playing one of America's most beloved sports -- basketball.

Buses, passenger vans and cars filled the lot at the Lincoln Park District on Saturday. The event was a basketball play day for Special Olympics. Twenty-two teams from all over central Illinois came to compete in this all-day affair. Teams came from beyond and between Danville and Dunlap and Rushville to be a part of the event hosted by the Lincoln Special Olympics.

Ryan Curry, who directs the local chapter, explained that teams are paired as equally as possible. The players are judged from 1 to 10 on skills such as dribbling, passing, rebounding and game awareness, to try to make games on the court competitive and fair. Each team played two games.

This point system showed itself an equalizer early on when a very tall, older team was facing a younger, much smaller one. An obvious mismatch at first glance ended not being such, as the smaller team showed skills as good as or better than the taller team. Rebounding was a problem, but when the smaller team had the ball, it was a race to the other end to score before the "giants" could get back on defense.

The games were refereed. There were timers and scores were kept. Minor incidents such as a little bit of a double dribble, a foot on the line or a minor bump were overlooked by the refs. This was more about people with intellectual disabilities enjoying a sport than it was about minor details of the proper nuances of the game.

In some cases the players were very good; in others they were not. There were moments of frustration for some players. Then, there were the moments of perfect satisfaction that nearly everyone enjoyed when a throw toward the basket actually went in.

It was obvious that winning a game was important to the players, but only on one level, the level most of us seem to think is the only value to competing. These Special Olympians all walked away having had fun. They were able to enjoy the satisfaction of playing sports with teammates, to hear family and friends cheer for them and to feel the spent effort from trying as best they could.

One of the mottos of the Special Olympics is: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." It is a motto that all of us could take to heart and become better individuals, like those Special Olympians who played with their hearts on Saturday.

The Lincoln play day was an event that packed the park district with the sound of people enjoying sports. It was a special day. That's what the Special Olympics is all about.

[By MIKE FAK]

Editor's note: Ryan Curry could use more help with the local Special Olympics chapter. If you would like to help or to donate to this special cause, you can contact Ryan at [e-mail].