On Wednesday, Feb. 11 the University of Maine – Presque Isle hosted the basketball Special Olympics at Gentile Hall. The event has been held at the Hall for three years, but has been an annual occurrence for quite longer.
Nearly 16 agencies participated in the event with a total of over 130 athletes registering. Agencies included Presque Isle High School, Central Aroostook ARC, Personal Services of Aroostook, Limestone Community School and the Opportunity Training Center, to name a few. Promoted by the Special Olympics of Maine, the event was sponsored by Maine Public Service, who paid for the games, which included: individual skill competitions such as perimeter shooting, speed dribbling, 10-meter basketball dribble, target pass and spot shot. New to this year’s Special Olympics Sports Rules were the team competitions, which included team skills, 3-on-3 and 5-on-5.
Chris Casavant and his team of high school boys’ basketball players participate in the annual event as well. “We started helping out when I coached the girls, so this year was number 11, but I’ve been bringing the boys for eight years. The team spends time directing stations and recording each athletes statistics like the number of baskets and dribbles.” And the Special Olympic athletes and participants look forward to having the Caribou team there as well. “We’ve gotten requests from them to play 5-on-5 in the past and a lot of times we’ll scrimmage the athletes,” said Casavant.
Parents also appreciate the work that goes into these events. Carla Cyr, parent to Brad Cyr who attended the Special Olympics basketball event, expressed the event allowed for the athletes to increase their interaction with each other, the parents to cheer them on and the public to see that the athletes love to compete in a friendly, good competition.
And even the officials, like A Joe Cluckey, look forward to being a part of this. “It was a wonderful day and I was honored to be able to play a small part. All the athletes are so supportive of each other; it’s just a great experience for everyone involved. Plus, the coaches never complain about a call,” said Cluckey.
Gina LeBlanc-Eggert, a Maine Public Service employee and coordinator of this year’s Special Olympics, also appreciates the help from Caribou and other volunteers. “Chris Casavant and his team are very well-mannered, respectful young men that do a great job keeping the athletes motivated and on task. This year, after the events, all the athletes gave a cheer to the Caribou boys as a thank you. And, we also couldn’t do all of this without the wonderful volunteers, flexibility of the coaches and their staff, and of course the athletes and their sprit of competition.”
The positive effects of this event carry on, as Casavant explained.
“I had a team meeting the other day and read a couple of emails from people who talked about how much they appreciated how much this team does for their son or daughter – their enthusiasm and respect is always appreciated.”
Contributed photo/Carla Cyr
WITH SWEATBAND INTACT, athlete Brad Cyr chases the ball with his teammates during a game at the Special Olympics held at Gentile Hall.
