Woodford County Middle School hosted a Special Olympics basketball event on January 18th. Six teams from all over Kentucky participated. One of the teams, the Shamrocks, is coached by Woodford County’s Special Olympics club, led by coach Will Seitz. Other coaching staff for this team include Nolan Asher, Cole Humston, Sam Hash, Charlie Gatewood, and Blake Bishop. This team has been a fantastic way for students to volunteer and help their community while doing something that they are passionate about. When asked why he became a Special Olympics coach, Coach Sam Hash said “Getting involved with youth coaching, I just really enjoyed that, so I figured why not help out with Special Olympics too”. When asked about what made this event unique, Hash said “It was definitely run to give the players the best possible and memorable experience, some of these other tournaments, it’s just you show up and play, but the one at Woodford was awesome because it made a memorable experience for all the players who participated. What made it unique, was definitely Ryan Asher MC-ing all the games, announcing starting lineups, and getting the crowd going.”
This event also featured student referees from Mrs. Hamilton’s officiating class. This was many of these students’ first experiences of officiating in a basketball game. For each game, there were 2 student referees and one certified referee. This was another great opportunity for students to get experience refereeing in a fun and relaxed environment. In regards to his first experience refereeing Sean Williams said “Having my first refereeing experience at a Special Olympics event was unique. I was expecting there to be a lot of pressure and attention on me to make the right calls, however, that was not the case. From tip-off, I realized that it was more than calling travels or double dribbles, it was about helping kids who needed it, and helping them succeed”
Ultimately this was a great opportunity for students to volunteer in their community and get some experience while having a good time and doing something fun.
