White County Special Olympians are making their cheerful presence known at high school basketball games in the Lafayette area.
CHALMERS ― Smiles and laughter were abound when White County Special Olympians were greeted onto the court 20 minutes before tipoff of a boys basketball game between Rossville and Frontier on Friday, Dec. 12.
The athletes donned either blue or red jerseys as part of an annual tradition to get adults with special needs involved in sports.
Each group of players will either practice or scrimmage 20 minutes before the start of varsity games they attend.
"If you want to know what sportsmanship is all about, come and watch a Special Olympics game," White County skills team coach Dena Fields said. "It doesn't matter if you're from the same county or not, it's all about sportsmanship. And the smiles and the hugs and see these athletes improve every year makes us want to be coaches and be part of this."
And through basketball, the joy of the men and women come out for the White County special Olympians. The group will be attending a high school basketball game at every White County gym throughout the season.
White County has multiple coaches on staff, including 33-year-old Gene Friar. Friar started his role five years ago and was encouraged to take the coaching role by White County Special Olympics coordinator Kyle Anderson, a family friend of his father.
Five years later, Friar has seen the impact his athletes have made on crowds.
"It brings players all together, and when you get to the Special Olympics, you're bringing the whole community together," Friar said.
Special Olympian Kyle Ashton has a shared connection with Friar, having been one of his players since 2023.
"I didn't know what to expect when I ran into (Friar)," Ashton said. "I'm ready for basketball to get going and I'm ready for this season to start. We'll have fun and get into it. I'm ready to rock and roll."
Frontier coach Trent Phegley had an athlete his players were watching in Kevin Altman.
Altman, in addition to being a special Olympians, is also a runner for Frontier's cross country team.
Having a large crowd in attendance made the night special in White County. Athletes of all skill levels connected through a shared love of basketball and fellowship made a close game between Rossville and Frontier even more memorable.
"When we were down there when Kevin makes this next basket, we need to get a good pop when he makes his next shot," Phegley said. "Let's give him a good cheer and let him know we appreciate him. The kids take care of him at school, and we appreciate him being here. All the other ones are great. We zero in on Kevin."
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: White County Special Olympians bring show to high school basketball
Category: General Sports
