TC Hosts First Annual Tournament
Celeste Amron
The NCAA March Madness is not the only tournament that happened last month. T.C. hosted 18 teams from across Northern Virginia for an end of the season Special Olympics basketball tournament.
The teams played in a total of 17 games during the day. This was the inaugural year for the March Madness at T.C. Tournament. Special Education teacher Nola Gaskins started it as a way for teams across the region to extend their seasons by a few more games. “We hope to make this an annual event,” said Special Education Teacher Brent Morris.
Alexandria’s two Special Olympics teams, the Mighty Titans and T.C. United, each played in two games and won all of them. T.C. United won its first game 49-10 and its second game 33-9.
This season, T.C. United won 11 of its 12 games. The team also won the silver medal at the Virginia State Championships. This championship tournament is normally the end of the season for most teams, but with the March Madness tournament, they were able to extend their year by one or two more games.
The Alexandria teams have been successful in past years. Mighty Titans won gold in the state competition in 2015 and bronze in 2016. The team went on to the state competition again last year and moved up to the top division in the region this year. Many players from last season’s Mighty Titans are now on the T.C. United team.
Students from across T.C. helped out at the tournament. Leadership students managed score keeping and members of Best Buddies and Key Club helped host teams by cheering them on and showing them around the school. “It was a lot of fun meeting players from other areas. I could tell it meant a lot to them for me to be there supporting them,” said Junior Tillie Davies who hosted Chantilly.
Boys and girls varsity basketball players also refereed the games. “Nothing makes me happier than kids with and without disabilities working together,” said Morris.
Special Olympics allows many current and former students with disabilities to “have fun, get exercise, spend a lot of time with friends, and get recognition for their accomplishments on the court” Morris said.
Although the basketball season is over, many players will continue on to play and compete in Special Olympics track and field, and other spring sports.
