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Athletes from the Pleasanton-based T-RADD program earned a slew of medals during the Special Olympics regional basketball tournament played at local schools last month.
With 300 athletes from across Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Stanislaus counties competing in Pleasanton on March 23, the T-RADD A team received a silver medal, the B team took bronze in its division and in the individual skills competition, RADD players won six gold medals, two silvers and one bronze.
“The culmination was a day full of glorious moments with athlete’s taking what they had learned and demonstrating not only how to play basketball, but also their incredible sportsmanship, energy and respect for the game and every volunteer,” T-RADD coach Kay King told the Pleasanton Weekly.
“There is a saying on the back of our coaches’ shirts and it says, ‘Playing today for an inclusive tomorrow,'” King added. “T-RADD coaches are beyond proud of this remarkable group of athletes.”
The daylong competition featured more than 15 teams playing at Hart Middle School, Harvest Park Middle School and Amador Valley High School, with each team playing three games apiece. The skills events included ball-handling, timed dribbling, bounce and chest passing, and shot-making around the basket.
The event also drew more than 300 local volunteers lending a hand for tasks across the board such as scorekeeping, refereeing, serving lunch and helping as team escorts, as well as several paramedics and nurses donating their time for as-needed medical services, according to local Special Olympics coordinator Ken Mano.
The next major Special Olympics regional event in Pleasanton will be the annual track-and-field meet on May 18, which has been newly expanded to include swimming and tennis, according to Mano.
For more information about the local program or volunteer opportunities, contact Mano at kenmano@comcast.net.