Going for Gold - from The Messenger

While much of the world has its eye on Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, plenty of friends and family had theirs on the basketball court at Butler Elementary School for Special Olympics' North Central Area Basketball on Thursday.

More than 60 athletes from area schools like Fort Dodge, Humboldt, Southeast Valley and more participated in the contest. It was the first time since February 2020 that these athletes were able to compete in Special Olympics Basketball. The COVID-19 pandemic hit Iowa just before the state contest that year.

Area Special Olympics Event Coordinator Liz Rusher said it's "super exciting" to have Special Olympics back.

"This might be the only activity these kids do outside of school or outside of home," she said.

This will be the first Special Olympics event that will continue onto state since COVID-19 began, Rusher said. In the fall, they did host a Special Olympics Bowling event, but there was no state competition.

Rusher will take the top athletes from Thursday's contest to the state event in Iowa City next month. The contest includes skill drills in dribbling, free throws and passing.

Cooper Elementary School Special Education teacher and coach Evie Dencklau said for some of the athletes, this is their first time competing in Special Olympics because of COVID cancellations.

"The kids are so excited to get to participate in different things," she said.

Dencklau has taught special education for 19 years and has coached students at Special Olympics nearly all those years.

"It's so fun to see the kids that have grown, that I had when they were in elementary and now they're in high school," she said.

Dencklau said she enjoys seeing the athletes interact with students from other schools and cheer each other on.

The area contest of Special Olympics Basketball has been held at the Butler Elementary School gym since at least 2003, when the new building opened. The school opened in April of 2002, but Special Olympics Basketball wouldn't be held there until the following February.

Rusher said the event is held at Butler every year because it has the properly-sized basketball hoops. The gym has an 8-foot and a 10-foot regulation basketball hoop.

In the past two decades, thousands of Special Olympics athletes have been cheered in the Butler gym.

Possibly the most important pieces to the puzzle are the high school volunteers who pretty much run the show. They lead the skill drills, demonstrate for athletes, assist and keep scores.

Retired Fort Dodge Senior High science teacher Lee DeCicco coordinated the high school volunteers for Special Olympics events in Fort Dodge for more than 30 years.

He said for basketball and bowling, there are usually around 20 volunteers. For track and field, about 60 students volunteer to help out.

"One thing that we did over the years is we got more kids involved," DeCicco said.

At first, only seniors were able to volunteer, but he later opened it up to younger students as well.

"Once they get hooked on helping, it's a neat experience," he said.

FDSH junior Ereziah Jones decided to volunteer this year because of a bond she's made with a friend with special needs at her high school. She said it's been fun watching the athletes compete and noted how happy they seem..

"I've liked getting to know the athletes and see how excited they are to just be here and play," she said.

She encourages other FDSH students to volunteer for the Special Olympics events.

The next Special Olympics competition will be state basketball in Iowa City in March. The area contest for Special Olympics Track and Field will be held at Dodger Stadium in April.

"I'm so happy to be full-in again and I look forward to taking them to Iowa City," Rusher said. "It's very exciting."