Hoops and Smiles At Special Olympics Basketball Championship Qualifier

Giant smiles dawned on the faces of roughly 75 Special Olympic athletes on the court as they participated in the Special Olympics Ontario Basketball School Championships Qualifier at St. Peter’s Secondary School on Friday.

Mitchell McColl takes his shot from the base line with a little help. McColl is a former Easter Seals Ambassador. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Holy Cross, Crestwood, TASSS, Fenelon Falls Secondary School, St. Thomas Aquinas and host St. Peter’s were the six participating schools taking part in the qualifier.

The opening ceremony consisted of volunteers, teachers and police escorting the athletes down the hallway and into the gymnasium in a grand entrance.

“Every one of those kids in that gym is a champion,” said Ernie Ellement, tournament co-organizer. “It's not about winning or losing. I hate that word, ‘losing.’ We have winners and non-winners. The bottom is, every single one of those kids, they're a winner because they're here, they're playing, they're having fun and that's what it's all about.”

At the end of the day, Special Olympics Ontario gathers the results of the qualifiers and determines what teams advance to the school provincial championships that will be held next spring.

The event is fresh off a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeing friends and being active is what Special Olympics athlete and St. Peter’s student Hannah Goode has been looking forward to as a seven-year veteran of the program.

“I know who I am because I love people a lot,” she explained. “I am one of the leaders, I am one of the examples, I'm a team captain and I'm a good teammate. I help my friends from the program if they need but also I like to help others that have disabilities.”

“Watch the student be a champion on the floor when they score a basket and watch how much they light up,” said Ellement. “You visually see the happiness within them and that's what it's all about.

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