Parkway West High School Hosts Special Olympics Basketball Competition

Monday, 260 athletes turned out for the annual Special Olympics basketball competition for special needs athletes. This is the 16th annual Special Olympics event at Parkway West High School. The event was made possible by a student council called the Longhorn Council (or as the students refer to it, LoCo). Nearly 100 LoCos, as the students call themselves, and other volunteers, acted as buddies, helpers and coordinators. Each athlete had a West High buddy for the entire event. 

The Longhorn Council holds this event every year so students on the council can develop their leadership and communication skills. Lauren Gieseking, cochair of the student run event, spoke of building community relations both inside and out of West High. She and fellow cochair Amelia Ayers started meetings with students about the event as soon as the winter break was over. The students met weekly until this weekend, when they spent their days off setting up for Monday.

The event ran smoothly, for the most part. Students from 15 different schools arrived by bus to take part in the competition. The athletes participated in six games per hour, which ranged from team vs. team basketball to dribbling and shooting contests. There was also the Victory Village, a place where athletes could play various other games. The athletes and student helpers were successful in developing physical fitness, experiencing joy and sharing gifts.

Check out the event in the accompanying photo slide show.